CONEJO VALLEY

Former Agoura manager admits to embezzlement

Megan Diskin
megan.diskin@vcstar.com, 805-437-0258
Gavel.

A former Agoura Hills man and business manager for singer Alanis Morissette and other celebrities admitted Wednesday that he embezzled millions of dollars from his clients, officials said.

In court papers filed Wednesday, Jonathan Todd Schwartz, 48, admitted that he embezzled more than $6.5 million from his clients and did not disclose the money in his tax return, according to the Department of Justice. Schwartz was living in Agoura Hills at the time and working for Sherman Oaks-based GSO Business Management, LLC, authorities said. He now lives in Playa Vista.

Between May 2010 and January 2014 he admitted to embezzling more than $4.8 million from Morissette by falsely labeling the withdrawals as "sundry/personal expenses," officials said. When he was first confronted about the missing money he stated it was invested in a marijuana growing business but Schwartz admitted in a statement that the claim was false, authorities said.

He also admitted to withdrawing about $1 million from another client by labeling the funds as money used for the client's home renovations, officials said. Schwartz said he also stole another $737,500 from a client by forging their signature on at least two checks, authorities said.

In a plea agreement also filed Wednesday, Schwartz agreed to plead guilty to felony wire fraud and felony filing a false tax return, authorities said. He admitted to not reporting the embezzled money to the IRS and now owes more than $1.7 million in federal income taxes, officials said.

When he appears in court on Feb. 1 and pleads guilty to the charges he faces a statutory maximum penalty of 23 years in federal prison. Although the plea agreement indicates Schwartz could spend four to six years in prison, his sentence will be determined by a judge, authorities said.