A Hollywood director has received a 30-month prison sentence for taking $11 million from Netflix and splurging it on a luxury car and stays at high-end hotels.
Karl Rinsch, 48, known for directing various science fiction and action movies, was handed a sentence that was significantly lighter—half of what prosecutors recommended—after influential witnesses, including actor Keanu Reeves, spoke on his behalf.
U.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff in Manhattan also mandated that Rinsch repay Netflix the $11 million he stole and enroll in an outpatient mental health program, along with a ban on drug use.
In support of Rinsch, Reeves, who became friends with him while filming the 2013 samurai movie 47 Ronin, expressed in a letter a desire for leniency in Rinsch’s sentence. He acknowledged not being fully aware of the case details but emphasized his hope for mercy.
Court documents included testimony from a friend who indicated that substance abuse and other challenges significantly affected Rinsch’s mental health and behavior.
Reportedly, an intervention was organized for Rinsch at his home in Los Angeles, where attempts were made to encourage him to enter rehab.
Prosecutors claimed that Netflix originally paid Rinsch around $44 million for a science fiction series about a new human race rising against its creators, but he requested an additional $11 million, which he misappropriated.
Instead of using the funds as intended, Rinsch transferred some of it to a personal brokerage account, where he invested and lost nearly half of the amount within months.
After Netflix ceased development of the project in early 2021 due to his erratic behavior, Rinsch reportedly embarked on a spending spree, lavishly living in five-star hotels across California and Spain and purchasing multiple luxury cars.
His extravagant expenditures included around $1 million on luxury bedding, $652,000 on clothing and watches, and approximately $1.8 million on credit card debts. Rinsch was arrested in March 2025 on various charges, facing potential maximum sentences that could have accumulated up to 90 years if served consecutively.
