Keanu Reeves Asks Court for ‘Mercy’ Toward Director Convicted of Stealing $11 Million From Netflix
Reeves called Rinsch an exceptional artist and asked the judge for leniency as Netflix seeks $11 million in restitution and fees.
- On Tuesday, actor Keanu Reeves asked U.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff for leniency in sentencing director Carl Rinsch, convicted of defrauding Netflix of $11 million for the unfinished sci-fi project "White Horse."
- A Manhattan federal jury convicted Rinsch of wire fraud after he took $11 million from Netflix in 2020 for the sci-fi series, then spent it on luxury purchases and speculative trading instead of completing the project.
- Reeves, who worked with Rinsch on the 2013 film "47 Ronin," wrote that he considers Rinsch an "exceptional artist" and "superb and visionary" creator, though he acknowledged not knowing case details, framing his support "as an artistic peer."
- Rinsch faces more than 10 years in prison at his June 29 sentencing hearing, though his defense team argues for no incarceration, citing his first-offense status and already-destroyed career.
- Netflix seeks $11 million in restitution plus $3.4 million in legal fees, while defense filings reference Rinsch's "severe psychological instability" during production as context for sentencing consideration.
28 Articles
28 Articles
Keanu Reeves Asks Court for ‘Mercy’ Toward Director Convicted of Stealing $11 Million From Netflix
Keanu Reeves sent a letter of support to director Carl Rinsch who was found guilty of stealing $11 million from Netflix. “I am writing in support of Carl Rinsch in connection with his upcoming sentencing. I do not know the details of this case,” Reeves, 61, wrote in a letter to the judge earlier this month, according to court documents obtained by Us Weekly on Thursday, May 28. “But based upon what I do know about Carl, I did want to take the op…
The actor who had worked with Carl Reins asked in a letter for his sentence to be commuted
While waiting to hear his sentence, director and screenwriter Carl Erik Rinsch received an unexpected gesture of support from Keanu Reeves. Matrix actor and John Wick asked a New York federal judge to have “clemency” with the filmmaker, found guilty of using millions of dollars that Netflix had set aside for a science fiction series for personal expenses, speculative investments and extravagant luxuries.Rinsch, 50, was convicted of electronic fr…
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