Alanis Morissette's ex-business manager is apologizing to his community after pleading guilty to charges relating to embezzling millions from his clients.
Jonathan Schwartz penned an open letter for The Hollywood Reporter, which tells part of his story, that he developed a gambling addiction after turning to sports betting to blow off steam from his high-stress job.
"At first, I 'borrowed' a little from clients, with the hopes that I would pay them back if I won that night’s bet," writes Schwartz. "That snowballed, and as I kept losing, I kept stealing. I kept telling myself that I just needed one lucky break, and I’ll pay them back."
That lucky break never came — but Schwartz says he's thankful for that. "[W]hen I was finally caught, a bright spotlight shined on my deplorable conduct," he writes. "I could not hide any longer and hit rock bottom. By seeing how pathetic I had become, I finally got the courage to ask for help." Now more than 300 days sober and awaiting sentencing, the former Power Business Manager is trying to make amends with those he's wronged.
Morissette sent THR a statement in response to the letter: "I would be apprehensive to believe any words that come out of Jonathan Schwartz's mouth." The singer sued Schwartz last May, but later reached a confidential settlement.
Schwartz pled guilty in January to charges of wire fraud and subscribing to a false tax return for failing to disclose the embezzled funds to the IRS. He is set to be sentenced on May 3.
