Director Who Took Netflix's Millions, Never Made Series Is Sentenced

Hollywood writer-director Carl Rinsch was sentenced Monday to 2 1/2 years in prison after being convicted of defrauding Netflix out of $11 million for a never-finished sci-fi series, the AP reports. Supporters including Keanu Reeves had asked the court to show him leniency. Rinsch, best known for the Reeves-starring 2013 samurai fantasy film 47 Ronin, was convicted in December of federal wire fraud and other charges. According to prosecutors and trial testimony, he told Netflix he needed $11 million to finish a show called White Horse but diverted the money into a personal account and ultimately spent whopping sums on luxury cars, watches, clothes, and household goods, including $638,000 on two mattresses.

Rinsch, 48, and his lawyers told the court Monday that his behavior was fueled by mental health struggles and medication problems, which they 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 said. He apologized for his behavior, acknowledged that "real harm was caused," and explained: "I failed to recognize the danger of the state I was in." His psychological troubles weren't described in court, and he and his lawyers declined to detail them afterward.

Rinsch "bring exceptional joy and warmth to the people around him" and "creative inspiration to others through his creativity and vision," Reeves told the court in a letter ahead of Rinsch's sentencing. The Matrix star said he didn't know the details of the case, but he acknowledged that Rinsch "can self-sabotage by amplifying the scale, scope, and landscape of what had been negotiated." He said he hoped the director's sentence "might be tempered with measures of leniency and mercy as well as justice."