Alanis Morissette's former business partner Jonathan Schwartz has been sentenced to six years in prison after being found guilty of stealing nearly $5 million from the artist. He has also been ordered to pay $8.7million in restitution. Jonathan managed the Canadian singer's finances from 2009 to 2016. According to The Hollywood Reporter, his duties included "collecting income, managing investment accounts and paying bills on her behalf."
Jonathan Schwartz admitted to embezzling nearly $5 million from the singer
The You Outta Know artist flagged issues with her accounts in early 2016 after her new business manager, Howard Grossman, noticed something was amiss. She subsequently fired Jonathan and sued him for more than $15million in damages.
Her complaint alleged Jonathan's company had "concealed distributions from Morissette, convincing her that she was in tremendous financial shape when, in fact, they were draining her assets and leading her on a road that could have led to financial ruin."
Many of the funds Jonathan redirected from Alanis were allegedly used to fund illegal marijuana businesses. Whenever the Ironic singer pressed him about what was happening with her accounts, Jonathan pretended everything was OK.
Alanis wasn't Jonathan's only victim
"When she asked him if she was over budget, he would insist that things were 'fine,' that she had 'nothing to worry about,' and that she and her future grandkids were 'set for life,'" her complaint alleged. "His reasoning was always that she didn't need to work so hard, because she was so financially secure."
It was also revealed in court that Jonathan is guilty of embezzling more than $1million from an unnamed client.