Netflix Director Convicted, Could Face up to 90 Years in Prison

One filmmaker now faces up to 90 years in prison after being found guilty.

Carl Rinsch was convicted of defrauding Netflix out of $11 million earlier today.

The director, who is best known for being a protégé of Ridley Scott and directing the 2013 action film 47 Ronin starring Keanu Reeves, allegedly scammed the streamer out of $11 million and went on a wild spending spree on Netflix’s dime—with millions going to speculative stock trading and cryptocurrency.

He was found guilty on all seven counts, including money laundering, fraud, and illegal money transmission.

Supposedly, Rinsch was filming a series for Netflix called White Horse, “a sci-fi epic about a world where clone-like beings, after a schism with humankind, create their own society walled off from the rest of the world.” The streamer spent over $60 million to produce White Horse, but the series never materialized, even after Netflix gave him extra money to complete the show.

Rinsch took the stand in his own defense this past Tuesday, saying the entire situation was a misunderstanding and that he’d completed filming on season one, but just needed more money for pre-production of season two. His attorney called the situation a “contract dispute.”

The jury, however, did not buy it. He was found unanimously guilty.

“Carl Erik Rinsch took $11 million meant for a TV show and gambled it on speculative stock options and crypto transactions,” U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton said after Rinsch was found guilty. “Today’s conviction shows that when someone steals from investors, we will follow the money and hold them accountable.”