A former nursing home owner with operations in Batesville and Searcy has asked an Arkansas judge to delay his reporting date to prison, citing concerns the state may not be able to meet his religious dietary requirements.
Attorneys for Joseph Schwartz, of New York, filed the request Tuesday, asking for additional time before Schwartz must report to the Arkansas Department of Corrections by December 29. Schwartz was pardoned in November by Donald Trump while serving a federal sentence for tax fraud.
Despite the pardon, Karen Whatley ordered Schwartz last week to report to the Ouachita River Correctional Unit to serve the remainder of a one-year Arkansas sentence for Medicaid fraud and tax evasion. That sentence was originally set to run concurrently with his federal term.
In court filings, Schwartz’s attorneys said he must adhere to a strict kosher diet as a rabbi, including a higher standard of kosher meat, and argued the Department of Corrections may not be able to accommodate those requirements.
The Arkansas Attorney General’s Office pushed back, calling the motion a delay tactic. A spokesperson for Tim Griffin said the Department of Corrections has a kosher kitchen capable of meeting Schwartz’s dietary needs.
Schwartz previously pleaded guilty in federal court for his role in a $38 million tax fraud scheme involving nursing homes across multiple states. Under Arkansas law, he must serve one-third of his sentence before becoming eligible for parole.
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