Joseph Schwartz (File image)
A former nursing home executive, once responsible for the Batesville Health and Rehab Center, has been denied a recommendation for state clemency.
The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports that the Arkansas Post-Prison Transfer Board found the request from 66-year-old Joseph Schwartz to be “without merit.” Schwartz, who owned the now-defunct Skyline Health Care chain, previously received a federal pardon from President Donald Trump in November while serving time for a $38 million tax fraud scheme.
However, the presidential pardon did not cover Schwartz’s state convictions for Medicaid fraud and tax evasion involving facilities in Batesville and several other Arkansas cities. Although Schwartz was paroled in January after serving only 17 days in a state unit, he sought clemency to clear his record.
The recommendation now moves to Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who maintains sole authority over pardons in the state.
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