Carl Rinsch Sentenced To 30 Months In Prison For Taking $11 Million From Netflix For Unfinished Show

Carl Rinsch, the writer-director best known for the 2013 Keanu Reeves film 47 Ronin, was sentenced Monday to 30 months in federal prison after being convicted of defrauding Netflix out of $11 million for a sci-fi series called White Horse that was never finished.

Netflix had already paid Rinsch roughly $44 million for the show in 2018 and 2019, then gave him another $11 million in 2020 after he said he needed more money to complete it.

Instead of finishing the show, Rinsch diverted the money to a personal account, lost about half of it on failed investments and cryptocurrency trades in a matter of months, and spent the rest on five Rolls-Royces, a red Ferrari, $652,000 in watches and clothes, $295,000 in luxury bedding, and $638,000 on two mattresses. He also paid off $1.8 million in credit card debt.

A jury convicted him in December of wire fraud and money laundering. Prosecutors sought five years, calling his motive "naked greed."

His defense, along with character letters from Reeves and others, pointed to mental health struggles and medication issues that Rinsch said he is now addressing with a new care provider.

"This process has forced me to confront things about my health, my judgment and my life," Rinsch told the court. "I failed to recognize the danger of the state I was in."

US District Judge Jed Rakoff gave him half the government's recommended sentence, saying Rinsch's mental health difficulties "may explain some of the excesses" but don't "detract from the court's conclusion that he was determined to lie to get substantial monies from Netflix, lie to cover it up."

Rakoff also ordered $11 million in restitution, though he acknowledged Rinsch will likely never be able to repay it. Rinsch reports to prison September 1. His attorneys say they plan to appeal.