Hollywood director Carl Rinsch is heading to prison after taking $11m, about £8.2m, from Netflix for a sci-fi series he never finished.
According to The Independent UK, the 48-year-old was sentenced on Monday, 29 June 2026, to two and a half years in jail starting in September. He was convicted of wire fraud and money laundering last December.
Netflix paid Rinsch $11m in March 2020 to make a 12-episode show called White Horse, later renamed Conquest. Prosecutors said he moved the money into his own accounts within weeks. Court records show he lost most of it on risky stock trades, then put the rest into crypto, made a profit, and spent it on cars, antiques, and luxury furniture.
In court, Rinsch said mental health problems were behind his actions. He told the judge he failed to see “the danger of the state I was in,” apologised, and admitted “real harm was caused.”
The judge, Jed S. Rakoff, said mental health may explain some of it, but it did not excuse the fraud. “He was determined to lie to get substantial monies from Netflix, lie to cover it up,” he stated.
Rinsch kept telling Netflix that production was going “awesome,” but only sent short teaser clips. Netflix cancelled the show after a year and spent $55m, about £41m, in total. During arbitration, Rinsch asked for $8.7m and rights to his footage. He lost the case and was told to repay $12m, about £8.9m. He has not paid.
Before Netflix, Rinsch only directed one film: 2013’s 47 Ronin starring Keanu Reeves. The movie was a box-office flop. Reeves wrote a letter asking for leniency, calling Rinsch “an artistic peer” and “a friend.”
Rinsch’s lawyer, Daniel McGuinness, said they plan to appeal. Netflix declined to comment.