Director of "47 Ronin" Sentenced to 2.5 Years in Prison for $11 Million Netflix Fraud
Hollywood director Carl Erik Rinsch, known for the film "47 Ronin," was sentenced to two and a half years in prison in a case involving fraud with funds from the streaming service Netflix, BBC reports.
According to the prosecution, Netflix allocated approximately $55 million to the director for the creation of a sci-fi series initially titled White Horse. Later, Rinsch received an additional $11 million, claiming these funds were necessary to complete production.
However, according to the prosecution's version, the director transferred these funds to his personal account. He invested part of the money but lost about half of it within a few months. The investigation also found that Rinsch spent money on cryptocurrency, Rolls-Royce cars, expensive mattresses, and other luxury items.
The court found the director guilty of federal fraud and money laundering. Although the maximum penalty for the combined charges could have reached 90 years in prison, the court sentenced him to two and a half years of imprisonment.
In addition to the main sentence, the judge imposed three years of supervised release on Carl Erik Rinsch after his release and ordered the confiscation of $11 million.
Before the verdict was announced, the director addressed the court, apologized, and took responsibility for his actions. After the court's decision, the U.S. prosecutor emphasized that this verdict should serve as a warning to others.
During the trial in New York, several Netflix executives testified. They stated that the company ordered only one season of the series, but Rinsch never delivered the completed project.
The director himself also testified in court. He claimed that the situation was misunderstood and that, in his opinion, the funds received were intended to support production during the pandemic.
As The New York Times notes, friends and colleagues of the director said that after signing the deal with Netflix, his behavior became increasingly unstable. According to them, Rinsch allegedly claimed he could predict lightning strikes and volcanic eruptions and spoke about a "secret transmission mechanism" of Covid-19.
In the end, the series, for which Netflix spent tens of millions of dollars, was never completed.
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