Broadway Producer Used Family Charity As $500K Personal Piggy Bank

By Josh Nathan-Kazis May 21, 2018

A Broadway producer who worked with Arthur Miller has admitted to taking nearly $500,000 from the New York charitable foundation his parents founded.

In a settlement with the office of the New York State Attorney General, David Richenthal acknowledged that he had used his family’s charitable foundation’s assets to pay for personal expenses and travel. He also admitted he made a large grant of foundation funds as part of a legal settlement with a former romantic partner, according to the Attorney General’s office. He has agreed to repay the foundation a total of $550,000.

“When someone uses their trustee position to enrich themselves, it’s not just an abuse of trust – it’s an abuse of the law,” Acting Attorney General Barbara Underwood said in a statement.

The Richenthal Foundation, which has $11 million in assets, supports nonprofit theaters. Its founder, Arthur Richenthal, was a prominent New York Jewish real estate attorney who represented the New York City’s landlords in pushing for increases to city-imposed rent limits. David Richenthal, his son, produced three revivals of Arthur Miller’s plays, as well as the Tony-winning drama “I Am My Own Wife,” among others.

As part of the settlement, Richenthal is permanently banned from being a director or officer of any charity in New York. The Richenthal Foundation also agreed to undergo reforms.

Contact Josh Nathan-Kazis at nathankazis@forward.com or on Twitter, @joshnathankazis.

Josh Nathan-Kazis is a staff writer for the Forward. He covers charities and politics, and writes investigations and longform.

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