A Hollywood director who scammed Netflix out of $11million has been sentenced to more than two years in prison for fraud, despite Keanu Reeves asking the court for leniency07:36, 30 Jun 2026Updated 07:36, 30 Jun 2026A Hollywood director was sentenced to two and a half years in prison after he was found guilty of defrauding Netflix out of $11million (£8.31m). Carl Rinsch's supporters, including actor Keanu Reeves, asked the court to show him leniency.‌Rinsch, who worked with Reeves on the 2013 samurai fantasy 47 Ronin, was convicted of federal wire fraud in December. According to the prosecutors, he had told Netflix that he needed $11m to finish a sci-fi series called White Horse.‌But, rather than finish the series, he diverted the money into a personal account and spent much of it on luxury items, including cars, including two Rolls-Royces and a Ferrari, clothes, watches and two mattresses that reportedly cost $638,000 (£482,180.88). He was also said to have made "risky bets" on stock options and cryptocurrency.‌Following a week long trial in December, Rinsch appeared in a Manhattan court again on Monday 29 June for his sentencing. After he was sentenced to 30 months in prison, US Attorney Jay Clayton said: "Today’s sentence sends a deterrent message: fraud will not be tolerated."As well as his imprisonment, Rinsch was sentenced to three years supervised release, $11million in forfeiture and $700 (£529.04) in mandatory special assessments.‌As said in the indictment and again at trial, Rinsch partially completed White Horse. In 2018, he reached an agreement with Netflix in which the company would pay Rinsch for both the existing episodes and the production of the rest of the show. They had paid roughly $44million already when Rinsch asked for the $11million in 2020.The director's lawyers told the court at sentencing that his behaviour was the result of mental health struggles and medication issues, which he was addressing with a new care provider. He apologised for what he did and acknowledged that "real harm was caused".‌Reeves wrote a letter to the court in advance of the sentencing hearing. In it, he said the director brings "exceptional joy and warmth to the people around him" and "creative inspiration to others".The actor added that he did not know the details of the case but he knew that Rinsch could "self-sabotage by amplifying the scale, scope and landscape of what had been negotiated". He stated his hopes that the sentence "might be tempered with measures of leniency and mercy as well as justice”.The judge, Jed S Rakoff, said that Rinsch's mental health issues "may explain some of the excesses" but do not "detract from the court's conclusion that he was determined to lie to get substantial monies". Despite this, he only sentenced Rinsch to two and a half years, when the prosecution asked for five.Article continues belowRinsch is due to report to prison in September and his attorney Daniel McGuinness told press afterwards that they looked forward to appealing the case.For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads .