Hollywood director Carl Rinsch was indicted on fraud and money laundering charges and accused of defrauding Netflix out of millions of dollars for a science-fiction series he never completed.
The director of the 2013 movie “47 Ronin” was arrested on Tuesday in West Hollywood and accused of embezzling $11 million dollars from the streaming giant, the Los Angeles Times reported. He later appeared in court, but was not yet asked to enter a plea.
He was indicted on two counts of money laundering, one count of wire fraud, and four counts of engaging in monetary transactions related to illegal activity, the Times noted.
According to the indictment, Rinsch used the money from Neftlix to make “extremely risky investments,” to pay for stays at the Four Seasons, and for other lavish purchases, crypto currency, and to hire lawyers to sue Netflix, instead of on the creation of the new science fiction series initially called “White Horse,” but later changed to “Conquest,” Variety reported.
“Carl Rinsch allegedly stole more than $11 million from a prominent streaming platform to finance lavish purchases and personal investments instead of completing a promised television series,” FBI Assistant Director Leslie Backschies said in a statement.
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The show was reportedly to be about a group of super intelligent clones “banished to a walled area in a Brazilian city, where they began developing advanced technology and came into conflict with humans and each other,” the report noted.
Rinsch and Netflix reportedly entered the deal for the series “in or about 2018,” per the indictment. Netflix then paid “approximately $44 million” to Rinsch’s production company for the show’s production between 2018 and 2019.
Director Carl Rinsch Indicted on Charges of Defrauding $11 Million From Netflix https://t.co/jUseUUPxdb
— Variety (@Variety) March 19, 2025
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The director later requested an additional $11 million to finish the project and reportedly “quickly transferred” most of the funds from the Rinsch Co. account to his brokerage account, according to the indictment.
The director proceeded to lose more than half of that money in less than two months via risky investments in the stock market, the indictment added. At the same time, Rinsch was reportedly telling the streaming giant that the show was “awesome and moving forward really well,” per the indictment.
The funds were reportedly used to not only buy five Rolls-Royces and a Ferrari, costing a little over $2.4 million, but also things like clothing, watches, luxury bedding, and more, per the Times.
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“The FBI will continue to reel in any individual who seeks to defraud businesses,” Backschies said.
If convicted, the filmmaker could face decades behind bars.
