Our guest today is Jonathan Todd Schwartz, who committed a crime so cliche there's a

Seinfeld episode about it. Jonathan was a leading entertainment manager when he embezzled money

from his superstar clients to feed his addictions. And when I say superstar, I'm not exaggerating.

Beyonce, Mariah Carey, Lincoln Park and Alanis Morissette were just some of the people

who trusted him with their money. We begin this conversation by finding out how Jonathan

achieved their trust and became one of the biggest financial managers in Hollywood.

This is Australian True Crime. We acknowledge the traditional owners of the land on which this

podcast is created, the Wurundri Woi Wurang people of the Koolan Nation. And a warning,

this episode of the podcast contains discussions around suicide.

When I graduated high school, I knew that I wanted to go to college to be a CPA.

I knew that I wanted to work for one of the seven cousins that were CPAs.

And this one in particular was a bright entertainment business manager

specializing in music so I knew I wanted to work for him and so I went to college after graduating

college I asked him I called him up and I said cuz can I come work for you and he said no you're

immature you're irresponsible.

What do you know about entertainment business management? And he suggested that I

join a CPA firm and, you know, learn and hone, if you will, my analytical skills to become

a better CPA, a better accountant. And at the time, I was disappointed

because I was ready to go. I had a wife and about to start having our first child at a very

young age. Either way, I took his advice. I heated it. I found a job working for a sole

practitioner in San Francisco for about three and a half years in the financial district. And I felt like I was really learning a lot. In hindsight, that was terrific advice that he gave me. And through about three and a half, four years, he called me back and he said, you're ready to come work for me? And I said, absolutely. And this point in

my life, my wife and I had our first of three sons. And we drove down in a Honda Accord, down the

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