Trump Pardons NJ Nursing Home Owner Responsible For 'Makeshift Morgue' During COVID

A controversial New Jersey nursing home owner who pleaded guilty to tax fraud has been pardoned by President Donald Trump.

Earlier this year, Joseph Schwartz of the Andover Subacute & Rehab Center II in Sussex County pleaded guilty to willful failure to pay over employment taxes, totaling more than $38 million, and failure to file the Annual 5500 Report.

Schwartz was sentenced to three years in prison and ordered to pay a $100,000 fine, plus $5 million in restitution, following the tax fraud charges.

Last week, Trump issued a Presidential Pardon to Schwartz, which did not note a specific reason for the clemency.

Schwartz’s attorney, Kevin Marino, told NJ.com that the pardon was “well deserved in the circumstances of this case.”

Schwartz joins the rising number of New Jerseyans pardoned by Trump, including 46 who were granted clemency following their roles in the January 6 Capitol riots.

Schwartz’s tax scheme wasn’t the first time he and his business made headlines, as the nursing home faced harsh criticism during its “completely unacceptable” actions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Makeshift Morgue

In April 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Andover Subacute & Rehab Center II was discovered to be overcrowding its morgue with the bodies of residents who died as the virus swept the nation.

Authorities pulled 17 dead bodies out of the nursing home’s morgue, which was only meant to hold four bodies.

Governor Phil Murphy said he was “heartbroken” and “outraged” when he learned of the malpractice.

“I am also outraged that bodies of the dead were allowed to pile up at a makeshift morgue at the facility. New Jerseyans living in our long-term care facilities deserve to be cared for with respect, compassion, and dignity," Murphy said. "We can and must do better."

The nursing home, which has since been renamed Limecrest Subacute and Rehabilitation and Woodland Behavioral and Nursing Center, had a history of violations even prior to the pandemic.

The establishment faced several accusations of mistreating its residents and had to pay tens of thousands of dollars for fire code violations.

Read More: 'Makeshift Morgue' Nursing Home In NJ Had Violations, Complaints