US director sentenced in Netflix fraud case

NEW YORK

American director Carl Rinsch, known for the 2013 film “47 Ronin,” was sentenced on June 29 to 30 months in prison for defrauding Netflix of millions of dollars, prosecutors in New York announced.

Rinsch was convicted last year of misspending $11 million paid to him by the the streaming platform in 2020 to create a science fiction series called “White Horse.”

“Instead of using the money to make the show, Rinsch made risky bets on highly speculative stock options and cryptocurrency, and spent millions of dollars on luxury goods for himself,” U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Jay Clayton said in a statement.

Among the purchases Rinsch allegedly made were luxury clothing and furniture, a red Ferrari and five Rolls-Royces.

In addition to the prison sentence, Rinsch, 48, was ordered to forfeit $11 million. His lawyers had pleaded for leniency from the judge overseeing the case, arguing that the misuse of funds happened “under the enormity of pressure” in his career and during an “incredibly contentious divorce.”

Rinsch was previously reported to be in a dispute with the company over a planned series.

Rinsch began his feature film directorial career with “47 Ronin,” starring Keanu Reeves.

Ahead of Rinsch’s sentencing, Reeves wrote to the judge to ask for “leniency and mercy” for his former director.