'47 Ronin' Director Carl Erik Rinsch Sentenced To 30 Months In Prison For Netflix Fraud Case

Carl Erik Rinsch, nan head of nan 2013 Keanu Reeves action movie “47 Ronin,” will service much than 2 years successful national situation for defrauding Netflix of $11 million.

U.S. District Judge Jed S. Rakoff connected Monday sentenced 48-year-old Rinsch to 30 months successful prison, nan U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of New York, announced. Federal prosecutors convicted Rinsch successful December of ligament fraud, money laundering and different counts. A ineligible typical for Rinsch did not instantly respond to a petition for remark connected Tuesday.

Federal prosecutors indicted Rinsch successful March 2025, alleging nan $11 cardinal went into Rinsch’s individual accounts. The filmmaker “quickly transferred” nan money from nan Rinsch Co. account, wherever it had been deposited March 6, 2020, by Netflix, done further accounts until astir $10.5 cardinal coiled up weeks later successful a individual brokerage account. He mislaid much than half of that money successful little than 2 months via risky investments successful nan banal market, nan indictment said.

Though Rinsch told nan streamer that his sci-fi show “White Horse” was progressing nicely, nan filmmaker allegedly moved nan remaining money into cryptocurrency and profited from crypto speculation complete nan adjacent mates of years. The streamer had invested astir $44 cardinal successful nan show. Rinsch was accused of spending astir $10 cardinal connected 5 Rolls-Royces, a Ferrari, watches, clothing, luxury bedding and linens, in installments paper bills, attorneys to writer Netflix for much money, and lawyers to activity connected his divorce.

He was arrested successful West Hollywood and released nan aforesaid time aft agreeing to station a $100,000 enslaved to guarantee his quality successful a New York national court.

Rinsch ne'er vanished nan Netflix show.

During his sentencing, Rinsch and his ineligible squad told nan tribunal his behaviour was a consequence of intelligence wellness struggles and medicine problems and they are moving to reside those issues pinch a caller attraction provider, nan Associated Press reported.

“I grounded to admit nan threat of nan authorities I was in,” Rinsch said, though his intelligence issues were not described successful court, and his attorneys declined to supply further detail.

Ahead of nan sentencing, Reeves — nan prima of Rinsch’s astir notable task to day — penned a missive successful May requesting “leniency and mercy arsenic good arsenic justice” successful nan filmmaker’s sentencing.

In summation to situation time, Rinsch must service 3 years of supervised release, forfeit nan $11 cardinal and salary $700 successful mandatory typical assessments, according to Monday’s announcement. U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton said successful nan announcement: “Today’s condemnation sends a deterrent message: fraud will not beryllium tolerated.”

The Associated Press and erstwhile Times adjunct editor Christie D’Zurilla contributed to this report.