Director Carl Rinsch is sentenced to prison in $11M fraud case over unfinished Netflix show

NEW YORK (AP) — 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. Supporters including Keanu Reeves had asked the court to show him leniency.

Rinsch, best known for the 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.

Prosecutors argued that Rinsch —- who also owes about $11 million in restitution — should serve five years in prison.

“Mr. Rinsch had every possible advantage,” including family money, an elite education, famous friends and a high-flying career, prosecutor David Markewitz told the court. Rinsch's motive, the prosecutor said, “was naked greed.”

Rinsch, who also has used the name Carl Erik Rinsch professionally, hails from the Los Angeles area and began making short films as a teenager. He later directed commercials, then got attention for “47 Ronin,” which stars Reeves. His character leads outcast samurai seeking to avenge their master's killing.

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.”

Prosecutors said Netflix initially paid Rinsch about $44 million for “White Horse” in 2018 and 2019, then provided another $11 million in 2020 after he said he needed more money to wrap up production.

But instead of putting that money toward the show, Rinsch steered the cash to a personal account and made a series of failed investments, losing around half the $11 million in a couple of months, according to prosecutors and witnesses' testimony.

They said he put the remaining funds into the cryptocurrency market, netting some profit, which Rinsch deposited into his own bank account.

Then came the lavish purchases, prosecutors said, with Rinsch buying five Rolls-Royces, a red Ferrari, $652,000 worth of watches and clothes, and the pricey mattresses, plus another $295,000 on luxury bedding and linens. In addition, he used some of the money to pay off about $1.8 million in credit card bills, prosecutors said.

U.S. District Judge Jed S. Rakoff said Rinsch's mental health difficulties “may explain some of the excesses” but don't “detract from the court's conclusion that he was determined to lie to get substantial monies from Netflix, lie to cover it up.”

As Rakoff announced the prison term, Rinsch wrote on a piece of paper on a table in front of him. One of his lawyers, Benjamin Zeman, patted the director's back.

After court, Rinsch — who's due to report to prison in September — hugged several people who had come to support him. He and his lawyers declined to comment as they left, except that attorney Daniel McGuinness said they looked forward to appealing the case.

Netflix declined to comment on his sentence.

Associated Press writer Michael R. Sisak contributed.

Carl Rinsch leaves a federal courthouse in New York, Monday, June 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

FILE - Director Carl Rinsch poses for photographers during a news conference to promote his 3-D film "47 RONIN" in Tokyo, Japan, Nov. 18, 2013. (AP Photo/Shuji Kajiyama, File)

Carl Rinsch, center, leaves a federal courthouse in New York, Monday, June 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Carl Rinsch leaves a federal courthouse in New York, Monday, June 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Carl Rinsch leaves a federal courthouse in New York, Monday, June 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

An Israeli was fatally shot in an attack in the West Bank, and the Israeli military said Sunday it killed an alleged attacker who attempted to ram his vehicle into troops also in the occupied territory.

Meanwhile, Egypt, Jordan and Kuwait condemned Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen after they fired a ballistic missile at the Saudi capital on Saturday.

Here is the latest news from the Middle East on Saturday. Full coverage is available here.

A 30-year-old man was killed in a shooting attack in the northern West Bank on Sunday morning, hours before the Yom Kippur holiday, which is widely considered the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. The Israeli military said the attacker opened fire from a vehicle and then fled on foot. The man was evacuated to a hospital but died of his wounds, police said.

The military also said it killed a Palestinian man who attempted to carry out a ramming attack on soldiers at an intersection near Jenin, less than an hour later. The military said it was searching for another man who was in the car.

Prior to the attack, Israeli troops carried out a large counterterrorism operation in the northern West Bank town of Al-Mughayyir. Palestinian officials said at least 28 people were detained. Tensions have surged in the West Bank and extremist Israeli settler attacks against Palestinians have increased exponentially, emboldened by right-wing, ultra-nationalist politicians in Israel's government.

Egypt, Jordan and Kuwait said the Houthi attack on Riyadh was a threat to regional security and stability and a violation of international law. The nations in separate statements said their governments stand with Saudi Arabia in support of its sovereignty and protection of its civilians.

The Muslim World League also condemned the attack on civilians and civilian infrastructure as a violation of “all religious values as well as international and humanitarian laws and norms.”

It was the first time the Saudi capital has been targeted since the escalation in fighting with the Iran-backed rebels opened a new front in the Iran war. Saudi Arabia said the attack was intercepted. Some residents in Riyadh heard an explosion, and later some saw a plume of smoke near the airport. There were no reports of casualties or damage.

Six French nationals in Iraq suspected of being members of the extremist Islamic State group have stood trial, Iraqi judicial and security officials told The Associated Press.

The officials, who said it could take several proceedings before a verdict is issued, spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak with the media.

The six are among 47 French nationals held in Iraq who were part of thousands of people with suspected links to the IS, and who were repatriated from neighboring Syria early this year.

— By Qassim Abdul-Zahra in Baghdad.

This report will be updated throughout the day as new developments emerge.

Palestinian farmers carry containers of milk from their livestock across a trench dug by the Israeli army in a road leading to the West Bank hamlet of Khirbet Ras al-Ahmar, southeast of Tubas, on their way to sell it Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)

A Palestinian farmer carries containers of milk from their livestock across a trench dug by the Israeli army in a road leading to the West Bank hamlet of Khirbet Ras al-Ahmar, southeast of Tubas, on their way to sell it Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)