Major Haredi Philanthropist Accused Of Being “Serial Violator” Of Nursing Home Regulations, Laws

Shlomo Yehuda Rechnitz is a major haredi philanthropist. He is also a son-in-law of haredi Rabbi Yisroel Belsky, the rosh yeshiva of Torah Vodaas who has been accused of repeatedly protecting haredi pedophiles. Belsky is also allegedly linked to in the Jewish divorce electric cattle prod extortion scandal.

Above: Shlomo Yehuda Rechnitz 

Update 9:07 pm CDT. Newer update 2-10-2015 posted at bottom.

Major Haredi Philanthropist Accused Of Being “Serial Violator” Of Nursing Home Regulations, Laws
Shmarya Rosenberg • FailedMessiah.com

Novato Healthcare, a 181-bed nursing home located in in Novato, California, is one of 57 California nursing homes named in a class-action lawsuit. The nursing homes face allegations of fraud, unfair business practices and violation of residents' rights.

The lawsuit, filed on October 7 in Los Angeles Superior Court, reportedly alleges among other things that Shlomo Yehuda Rechnitz, owner of Brius Management and Brius LLC, was "a serial violator of skilled nursing industry laws and regulations." Brius owns Novato Healthcare.

Rechnitz is a major haredi philanthropist. (For example, see here.) He is also a son-in-law of haredi Rabbi Yisroel Belsky, the rosh yeshiva of Torah Vodaas who has been accused of repeatedly protecting haredi pedophiles. Belsky is also allegedly linked to in the Jewish divorce electric cattle prod extortion scandal. (Belsky has not been indicted or charged.)

A spokesman for Rechnitz and Brius, Michael Sitrick, wrote in an email to FailedMessiah.com implied that the lawsuit was a form of extortion.

"This lawsuit is filled with baseless and untrue allegations. It is notable that it makes no allegations of harm to or abuse of our patients.  It is also telling, we believe, that its filing came after we refused to enter into a lucrative consulting contract with the plaintiff's attorney, Steve Garcia, and that Mr. Garcia has been sued at least once for, among other things, "Attempted Civil Extortion."

“The fact is, Brius facilities are operated at the highest standards and have been appointed as one of the only State Certified Temporary Managers to take control of troubled nursing facilities.

“This lawsuit is a case in point of how anyone can say anything in a lawsuit regardless of whether it's true. We look forward to proving the allegations in this lawsuit to be utterly false."

The lawsuit does not describe personal injuries to nursing home residents because "they are specifically excluded from this particular type of class action lawsuit," the plaintiff’s attorney, Stephen Garcia, reportedly said.

However, the plaintiff, Raymond Foreman, reportedly filed a separate individual personal injury lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court that alleges Foreman's nursing home (which is not a home that is owned by Novato Healthcare) was dangerously understaffed. Foreman alleges that, contrary to good practice, a certified nursing assistant tried to move Foreman by herself instead of with another nursing assistant. She allegedly fell on Foreman's leg, injuring him.

Medicare.gov, the official US Government Medicare website, gives Novato Healthcare an overall below average rating and a below average health inspection rating. Its staffing is rated average. But Novato has an above average quality measure, which is based on resident assessment data. Quality measure is the least precise of all the category ratings on the Medicare.gov website and is the category most easily manipulated by nursing home administrators.

Update 2-10-2015 – Rechnitz buys distressed nursing homes and turns them around. Because of how the state inspection process works, violations accrued under previous ownership carry over to new ownership. And fixing these violations often takes some time. Please read newer posts here and here.

Comments

[dh]

Phew, finally! Isn't there tons of schmutz on this crook? I'm only sorry the Attorney General and the IRS didn't get the SOB. What happened with him and Doheny Meats?

[put a square into a hole]

You forgot to say that Belsky is in charge of the OU
Way to go Scotty. Some more crap about yidden.

[JACK]

Shmaryah,don't be an idiot,aren't you aware what a CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT is,it is nothing but a bunch of ambulance chasing crooked lawyers getting together to try to extort a few million dollars from large corporations,i don't think there is a fortune 500 corp.that has not been hit with a class action lawsuit at one time or another,Scotty" you should know this,again if there is nothing to write about,go out for some fresh air and do some exercise.
but i understand your jealousy and frustration,here we a chareidi jew,who most probably did not even graduate high school who made it big built up a multi billion dollar business and became one of the biggest philantropist in the U.S,in the mean time Scotty looks into the mirror,what does he see? an overweight middle aged loser,no job,no family,sitting in his mothers basement 24/7 fishing for dirt on his fellow jews,and having to beg for money in order to have what to eat.
i fully understand your frustration and in a way feel sorry for you

[dh]

JACK, you ignorant slut. The Class has to be certified by the Court. Not every schmo, such as yourself, can file a Class Action and lawyers who handle Class Action litigation are the antithesis of ambulance chasers. But the very fact that here you are defending this crook and pouncing on your host is the seal of gold that the Class has it right and you, you ignorant slut, have none.

[JACK]

dh,i am sure you are aware that 90% of class action lawsuits are eventually thrown out by the courts, and the rest are settled before going to trial because the co's don't want to be bothered with it

[dh]

No, you are wrong. "Thrown out" is not a legal term. You are such a moron I cannot even converse with you. You have the IQ of day old toast.

[dh]

Bless you Shmarya! This is such a great news day. First Bug-eye Barry Freundel, now this crook (for which I have been waiting since the dawn of time). The only thing better would be, well, you know.... a nice wiretap on a Rubashkin Crime Family member. Dare I hope?

[jancsibacsi]

dh--Can you imagine even i felt bad for jack, your ranking him out is so good that it makes my day:))

[kjdude]

Wow dh you are in true form today, lying out your ass. The court does need to certify anything about the claim, only that its a "class action" instead of a regular lawsuit. And yes most are dismissed, and most are borough by crooked lawyers. So while you may denigrate Jack you are little better than him.

[dh]

kjrude, you are completely 100% inaccurate. You have the IQ of tepid water and I shall not converse with you again. You are not using the term "Dismissed" correctly in a legal sense. Doing a quickie Google search is not enough, you raging idiot. I don't know any "borough" lawyers, but of all the attorneys that have worked Class Action lawsuits, including myself, I have not met any that are "crooked". Perhaps you are referring to another area of law and are as ignorant of that as you are about everything else.

I am not little better than JACK, the ignorant slut. I am worlds better than she. And you. In intellect, morals and every way measurable.

And now that I needn't knowingly address either one of you pieces of filth again, I will order a pizza.

[kjdude]

Oh look, jancsi has something to add here. Good point, jb. Oh wait, did you have one?

[dh]

jancsi - i heart u

[kjdude]

As usual dh, well argued! An IQ of tepid water. Good one, as usual. But now you decided to call yourself a lawyer? OK I guess indulging in fantasies is allowed on the internet. Next time say you're a doctor too, it'll make you feel even more important...

And BTW you are dead wrong about certification of class actions. I would suggest you consult Google, you ignorant slut! Oh wait, that Jack. OK youre an ignorant fuck....

[jancsibacsi]

kjdude--You imposter,kj is a place where you dont get an education to express youreself in a way you do, so you must be an imposter a fake fraud and phony kjdude,so is every word you utter here.

[rabbi611]

yourall kuntes

[jancsibacsi]

rabbi611--Learn how to spell you farrikter beheime.

[WoolSilkCotton; I must be seen to be believed]

Dh, you are awesome.

All frumma think they can outsmart any lawyer. Just ask anyone at the Otisville Yeshiva.

[WoolSilkCotton; I must be seen to be believed]

How fat is this crook Rechnitz?

He must be about 400 lbs. from the looks of that photo.

[Rodin]

The comments on this blog have degenerated into a kindergarten
fight of name calling and ego bashing. Other readers
(Not JEFF, JACK, JB, KJDUDE) are sick and tired of this nonsense.
Make a reasonable comment on the main story or just Stfu.

[dh]

6'8" 300 LBS. But he's a twin. One mostly runs the nursing homes and one runs the companies that buys everything that it takes to run the homes. They also tried to break the back of the ambulance services in Orange County, CA in favor of Hatzolah. Slime.

[dh]

Also, there was an FBI raid in Pasadena, CA of one of their homes but the matter was quietly settled. So many claims of Medicare fraud that finally in the last year or so, they hired a former Bush Medicare guy. Not sure whether to perfect the crime, for window dressing or what; nice resume. I've heard for a long time of fraud, abuse of residents, providing addresses for felons and other offenders.

Thank you, WSC.

[Chafraud-Depravitch]

dh,
"What happened with him and Doheny Meats?"

According to the Jewish Journal he "saved" it and was set to turn it over two weeks later. Not sure if it changed hands again.

Not that it matters. Kosher meat producers and distributors are notorious scammers. Any Jew who truly cares about kashrut really needs to take meat off their menu or raise their own.

WSC,
"He must be about 400 lbs. from the looks of that photo."

I think the fat you see is his pockets. Pockets and bank accounts get very fat turning Judaism into an industry.

[dh]

Why does kosher meat always look so much better?

As to the brothers Rechnitz, or the Brothers Wretch, as I call them, they look identical and Steve, the other one, seems a little lower profile. Didn't one of them derive some enjoyment with women of the evening, so to speak, in Vegas?

[n ' Aron d]

He is also alleged to be involved in the slavery trade.
That's besides allegedly being heavily involved in the drug trade.
I think he is also allegedly involved in kidnapping and illegal immigration.
Also his grandfather was allegedly a horse and a bootleggers who also ran a prostitution ring

[Abracadabra]

DH - This blog is overrun by trolls now that school is out for Chol Hamoed Succos. After all the children, I mean, trolls go back to school at the end of next week the trolls will mostly "magically" disappear. Though I have a feeling that "kjdude" and "jack" will stick around because they sneak their parents' iphones into the yeshiva bathroom to post trolling comments on FM. Hopefully Shmarya will ban them soon enough.

[Wigmore]

dh, I'll have you know that JACK has replaced the scrolls in all his mezuzahs with the text of FRCP 23.

[dh]

Wiggles, LOL!!

[dh]

Abra, they are exhausting. It's like having someone else's ugly children over. You can sort of pretend they're cute for a while and then you want to stab them.

[Norm]

I wonder what Rechnitz has to say about the Shlomo Wiess murder. He was a student at the same school at the same time- same year or close, in fact.

I'm honestly not saying he's a murderer. But someone in the school seems to have known something, and everyone who was there should be deposed.

[Kalmen]

This lawsuit is utter BS and garbage. I'm very familiar with these types of cases as I'm involved in the nursing home world here in CA. This Garcia is a known ambulance chaser who uses canned forms to extort money from nursing home operators here in CA. The 10 largest nursing home chains in CA were all sued by him with the same template....One of the nursing home owners (Goldstar) actually sued him (#12C03336) for racketeering and extortion and forced this guy into dismissing the lawsuit with fines I believe. If Rechnitz is in fact a Temporary Manager for the State of CA (I'm not sure how this can be verified), and given that there was no actual harm to any patient here, I don't see how this lawsuit affects him other than to wrongfully besmirch his reputation - others have gone through this as well. Don't forget that in the nursing home world (at least in CA) these types of lawsuits are a dime a dozen. Hopefully this "lawyer" gets what he deserves. It will be interesting to see how this plays out.

Interesting excerpt from the Goldstar lawsuit:

"For many, many years, Stephen Garcia began acquiring interest in the nursing home industry in California and the greater Los Angeles Area. His interests in the nursing home industry took two primary forms. He would obtain a percentage of ownership in the facility as an owner, or else he and/or GAS (law firm initials) would contract with the facility as a ‘consultant’ and be paid a consultant’s fee by the facility…. Defendants obtain their various interests in nursing homes in the following manners: they will sue a nursing home and obtain a recovery from the nursing home either through settlement or trial. Mr. Garcia and Mr. Artigliere will then approach the nursing home and offer to not sue it again if the nursing home enters into a lucrative ‘consulting agreement’ by which Mr. Garcia, Mr. Artigliere, and/or Mr. Schadrack—either individually or in their capacity as members of GAS-purport to ‘advise’ the nursing home on how to avoid further legal expenses….If the nursing home refuses to succumb to Mr. Garcia’s and/or Mr. Artigliere’s implied threat, GAS and/or Mr. Artiglierr will then use any and all available means to force that nursing home to take on burdensome costs by –among other things-abusing the legal process in order to force the nursing home to change its mind and agree to a ‘consulting agreement.’"

[Norm]

Funny, all the PR stuff he's been issuing for the past months (there was so much, I was getting suspicious) never mentioned nursing homes. Always "medical equipment" or something. Of course, "nursing homes" has a bad sound for Orthodox Jews since the scandals of the 1970's. I remember how the crowd in the court reacted during the Young Israel of Fifth Avenue case when the National Council admitted it had a number of nursing home violations against it.

[mike]

Janc,
Did I actually see you telling someone to learn to spell???
Lol.

[JD]

Shmarya, I'm an avid reader of your blog for the past few years. I don't agree with everything, but you definitely raise awareness and prevent and expose injustice. This article really bothered me. It basically shows that you are just anti-orthodox. While I myself am not religious (my wife is), you are trying to besmirch and defame a good intentioned, well meaning Jew, who lives modestly, yet spends half his day helping other people. Orthodox, Conservative, Reform and a plethora of Non Jewish causes. He is non discriminatory and just has a caring heart for others. I always understood the purpose of your blog was to expose bad actors that hide under the face of religion and commit horrific acts. These people also make a horrible name for the Jews as a whole. From what I've read and heard about Mr. Rechnitz is that he is a person who make Jews look good. This is especially important these days, as Anti Semitism is rampant one on the rise. He was sued at best, by a questionable plaintiffs Attorney who clearly had other agendas. The lawsuit was not even certified as a "class" and doesn't claim any harm to patients. I think you owe Mr. Rechnitz an apology. I also think you need to clarify the purpose of your blog.

[Yitzy]

It seems like this article is about Rechnitz and Belsky as they are the same. I don't know what kind of relationship they have, but I doubt Belsky condones giving charity to the NAACP, the EJAF or a host of other charities Rechnitz helps.

[Condonation]

I don't know one way or the other as to whether Rechnitz has done anything wrong here, but I am one of many who feel that his over the top self promotion may be laying the groundwork for what we've seen all too many times, which is people who are on the verge of some kind of corruption or fraud laying the groundwork for the entire Jewish world to rally around him and say he is a Tzadik. Remember this one thing: there is nothing righteous about giving away other people's money or money derived from unethical practices. In Rechnitz's case, "Me thinks he doth protest too much". Just look at his incredibly self promoted wikipedia page.

[chez]

Shmaryah I wonder what woud happen if you called him to help you financialy. I bet he'd even give YOU money.
Your a lowlife piece os shit.

[viyslpi]

While I need to remain anonymous, because I don't want people to think that I actually look at your blog, I can tell you that I work for an organization that helps victims of pedophilia. I know that's one of the topics you closely monitor, but one day you should actually talk to a victim, and you'll be shocked that they don't all commit suicide from the trauma of these monsters. Rabbi Rechnitz personally pays all therapy costs for close to 20 teenagers (religious and none religious). Why don't you take out a few moments and call some of these organizations and inquire how involved he is. Then you'll perhaps realize the disservice you've done to your own people.

[Momentum]

I remember people lavishing similar tributes to David Schick before his fall...

[dh]

Kalmen, aw, come on, who are you really? And why didn't you tell us the truth, hmm? Did you think we wouldn't notice, Binky? For instance, did you think none of us wouldn't comment on the fact that all lawsuits are "Forms"? Yep, the Judicial Council in California provides them. And by golly by gumball, there's a gazillion of those suckers.

And Stephen Garcia is a great lawyer, the lead lawyer in a well known law firm. He specializes in Elder Abuse. He has no record of discipline with the State Bar and that frivolous suit filed against him by Goldstar was recognized as such and swiftly Dismissed, likely with Prejudice because it was never litigated again. Now, Binky, why didn't you mention that in your fair and balanced comment?

I wondered earlier why the Attorney General hadn't become involved as I had been waiting for all these years. Wowie, am I smart. Smarter than you Binky. They did. An emergency motion was filed by the California Attorney General’s Office against Rechnitz and Brius.

So, who are you, Binky AKA Kalmen? You are on the wrong side of truth. You are on the side of liar, liar pants on fire. Tsk, tsk, tsk. Who's payroll are you one?

[dh]

"He was sued at best, by a questionable plaintiffs Attorney who clearly had other agendas. The lawsuit was not even certified as a "class" and doesn't claim any harm to patients. I think you owe Mr. Rechnitz an apology. I also think you need to clarify the purpose of your blog."

Posted by: JD | October 15, 2014 at 08:05 AM

Does JD stand for Just Dithering? Or does it stand for Juris Doctorate but Just Didn't pass the bar? I think you owe Mr. Garcia and his firm and apology. I also think you need to clarify the purpose of your comment. Do you always believe the last thing you read? Do you know Binky?