Keanu Reeves asks for ‘mercy’ for director Carl Rinsch in Netflix fraud case - BERITAJA

Keanu Reeves is asking for a judge to see “leniency and mercy” for head Carl Rinsch, who was recovered blameworthy of defrauding Netflix retired of US$11 cardinal for a show that ne'er materialized.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office successful Manhattan said that Rinsch utilized the money for lavish purchases, including a Ferrari, respective Rolls-Royces and luxury bedding. He is now facing years successful situation up of his sentencing connected June 29.

In a missive to Judge Jed Rakoff, obtained by Deadline, Reeves asked that Rinsch’s condemnation “be tempered pinch measures of leniency and mercy arsenic good arsenic justice.”

“I person known Carl for about 15 years. He directed maine successful a movie titled 47 Ronin in 2011, and we stayed successful touch aft production, later becoming friends,” the 61-year-old Canadian character wrote. “I attended his wedding successful Uruguay successful 2014. Over the years I would periodically sojourn pinch Carl and his woman astatine their Los Angeles location and drawback up connected and talk life and art.”

Reeves said during 1 of his visits, Rinsch showed him a task he was moving connected called White Horse, which was the sci-fi bid Netflix was funding.

“In my sentiment Carl is an exceptional artist, and White Horse, successful the shape successful which I saw it, was a superb and visionary activity of art, though unfinished,” he added.

The John Wick actor noted that he is “not a therapist aliases psychologist” but he wanted to constitute the missive arsenic “an creator adjacent of Carl’s, and arsenic a friend.”

“In my opinion, Carl could self-sabotage by amplifying the scale, scope and scenery of what had been negotiated, accordingly placing himself and his counterparties astatine odds,” he continued. “I do not intend to stock this arsenic an excuse of diminishment of what he has been recovered to person done, but connection this solely arsenic possibly an penetration into why.”

Reeves said that he has seen Rinsch bring “exceptional joyousness and warmth to the group about him.”

“I person seen him bring imaginative inspiration to others done his productivity and visions. I person seen and been a portion of awesome creator environments wherever exceptional activity was done pinch him,” the Matrix actor wrote. “I dream you are capable to find leniency for this man.”

“To the grade you deem appropriate, I judge specified leniency would beryllium a treatment act, to spell on pinch the reward he will unrecorded with,” Reeves’ missive concluded.

In December 2025, Rinsch was recovered blameworthy of defrauding Netflix pursuing a one-week trial. He was convicted of 1 count of ligament fraud and 1 count of money laundering — each carrying a maximum condemnation of 20 years successful prison, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York announced.

He was besides recovered blameworthy of 5 counts of engaging successful monetary transactions successful spot derived from specified unlawful activity, each of which carries a maximum condemnation of 10 years successful prison.

The head began filming White Horse around 2017, which follows a intelligence who creates a human-like type that turns against its creators, according to the indictment.

Prosecutors said Netflix had initially paid Rinsch about $44 cardinal betwixt 2018 and 2019 for an unfinished sci-fi series, and past sent different $11 cardinal about March 6, 2020, aft he said he needed further backing to wrap up the production.

Instead of putting the money toward the show, Rinsch transferred the rate into a “number of different slope accounts earlier consolidating them successful a individual brokerage account,” according to prosecutors.

Rinsch past utilized those costs to make a number of individual and speculative purchases. He made a bid of grounded investments, losing about half of the $11 cardinal successful a mates of months, prosecutors said.

He past put the remaining costs into the cryptocurrency marketplace and “on individual expenses and luxury items, including astatine slightest $1.7 cardinal connected in installments paper bills; astatine slightest $3.3 cardinal connected furniture, antiques, and mattresses; astatine slightest $387,000 connected a Swiss watch; and astatine slightest $2.4 cardinal connected 5 Rolls-Royces and a reddish Ferrari,” according to prosecutors.

In a statement to The New York Times astatine the time, Rinsch’s lawyer, Benjamin Zeman, said he disagreed pinch the verdict.

“I fearfulness that this could group a vulnerable precedent for artists who go embroiled successful contractual and imaginative disputes pinch their benefactors, successful this case, 1 of the largest media companies successful the world, uncovering themselves indicted by the national authorities for fraud,” Zeman said.

Netflix said it had nary remark erstwhile contacted by BERITAJA about Rinsch’s conviction.

—With files from The Associated Press