Five Rolls-Royces and a plea from Keanu Reeves: Carl Rinsch sentenced in Netflix fraud case

Plenty of film folk have been caught dipping into the till, but you don’t often see a director convicted for blowing Netflix money on flash cars, gambling, and then getting a plea from Keanu Reeves to go easy on him. That’s exactly what’s gone on with Carl Rinsch, who’s just been sentenced to two and a half years in the clink for one of the stranger behind-the-scenes stories you’ll hear this year.

Keanu Writes to the Judge

So, the short version: US federal judge Jed Rakoff handed Carl Rinsch, the guy behind the doomed series ‘White Horse’, a 30-month prison sentence on Monday. This all follows Rinsch’s conviction in December for wire fraud and money laundering—he nicked $11 million from Netflix, supposedly to fund the show, but never got anything near a finished product to them.

Here’s the bit that’ll raise eyebrows: Keanu Reeves, who knows Rinsch from a previous project, wrote to the judge before sentencing, asking for ‘leniency and mercy’. Keanu, being Keanu, tried to get Rinsch some proper help back in 2019 (there was even an intervention), but according to the letter, Rinsch wasn’t up for it and waved off the whole thing.

'Carl can self-sabotage by amplifying the scale, scope and landscape of what had been negotiated.'

The Shopping List: Rolls-Royces, Stocks, and No TV Show

The story starts back in 2018, when Netflix—under then-vice-president Cindy Holland—bought ‘White Horse’ off Amazon for a frankly ludicrous $61 million. Rinsch managed to spaff through $44 million during development without ever delivering a show people could actually watch, then insisted he needed another $11 million. Netflix, perhaps understandably, started asking questions.

The prosecution explained where the money had gone. On the one hand, millions were splurged on stocks. On the other, we’re talking proper Hollywood extravagance here—he bought (this isn’t a joke) five Rolls-Royces and other luxury bits and bobs. The judge said the shopping spree didn’t exactly look like ‘ordinary greed’, but more like the man was ‘in a manic state’.

How the Court Saw It

Prosecutors led by US Attorney Jay Clayton wanted Rinsch behind bars for five years, not just two and a half, saying he orchestrated a con just to siphon off cash. Their angle: this wasn’t some daft misunderstanding, Rinsch flat-out lied, laundered the lot, and never tried to make the show happen.

The defence pointed to his mental health struggles, arguing Rinsch was under a doctor’s care throughout production but didn’t exactly get the support he needed. It may have nudged the judge towards a slightly lighter sentence, but not by that much. In the end, Rakoff ordered around $11 million must be repaid, and told Rinsch to report to prison by September 1st.

• 2018: Netflix snags 'White Horse' for over $61 million
• $44 million spent, nothing delivered
• Rinsch asks for another $11 million—money then blown on stocks, luxury goods (including five Rolls-Royces)
• December: Jury convicts Rinsch of fraud and money laundering
• June: Sentenced to 30 months in jail, $11 million restitution, surrender by 1st September
• Keanu Reeves writes judge asking for clemency, details attempted intervention in 2019