Netflix Scam: Hollywood Director Convicted Of Taking Streaming Giant For Millions
New York — A Hollywood director was convicted on Thursday of scamming Netflix out of millions of dollars. A court in New York found that Carl Erik Rinsch spent millions on personal luxury items, but never actually tried to finish the sci-fi series he had been working on for the streaming giant. Here are the details.
“White Horse” to White Collar
Rinsch had a deal with Netflix to deliver a 12-episode first season of a futuristic sci-fi show called “White Horse.” The streamer spent $44 million on the project. When they contacted the 48-year-old director for an update, he said that he needed another $11 million to finish production. Television and movie productions do go over budget from time to time. Rinsch was serving not only as the project’s director, but also the primary writer and the showrunner.
Netflix sent Rinsch the $11 million to finish the job, but he never did complete any of the 12 episodes. What he did do, though, was deposit the money in a personal bank account and go on a spending spree. According to testimony, Rinsch made a series of bad investments and lost nearly half the money. He then threw most of the remaining funds into cryptocurrency and made some of the money back. That money then went back into his personal accounts.
From there, Rinsch started making lavish purchases. FBI agent Michael Naccarelli testified that he spent $2.4 million to purchase a Ferrari and five Rolls-Royces. Rinsch spent $3.36 million on furniture, including close to $1 million on two beds and expensive bedding. The director spent $652,000 on watches and clothes.
A spreadsheet entered into evidence showed that Rinsch ordered more than 480 food deliveries through Uber Eats and Postmates during a six-month span, sometimes ordering as many as 12 times in a single day. He also spent money on hotels, art, and other things, as well as paying off $1.8 million in credit card bills.
Altogether, it is estimated that Rinsch spent over $9 million through his personal bank account. Rinsch claimed in a deposition that four Rolls-Royces were for the series. His lawyers argued that Netflix abandoned their client and left him to write, direct, and produce the whole series by himself. They claimed that the whole debacle over “White Horse” was a civil matter, not a criminal one.
Who Is Carl Erik Rinsch?
Rinsch is best known for directing the 2013 samurai movie “47 Ronin,” starring Keanu Reeves, Hiroyuki Sanada, Kô Shibasaki, and Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa. The movie was nominated for two Saturn Awards, a Golden Reel Award, and two IGN Summer Movie Awards. Beyond that project, he had only directed a handful of shorts, commercials, and music videos.
After the success of “47 Ronin,” Rinsch pitched a sci-fi series about artificial humans in 2018. Studios and video platforms lined up. A bidding war ensued, and it looked like Amazon had won. However, before their offer could be formalized, Netflix swooped in and offered Rinsch millions more and something directors rarely get: final cut. Rinsch took the deal for “White Horse,” which was given the production codename “Conquest.” British actress Harriet Walter was soon attached to the project, as was Rinsch’s wife at the time, Uruguayan model and fashion designer Gabriela Rosés Bentancor. His wife filed for divorce in 2021.
What Is Next for Rinsch and Netflix in the Matter
Rinsch was convicted of wire fraud, money laundering, and five other charges related to making illegal monetary transactions. His sentencing hearing has been scheduled for April of 2026. Each of the two main charges carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, while he faces a maximum of ten years for each of the other five charges.
Netflix was forced to write off the production of “White Horse” as a loss in 2020 without ever airing a single episode. In May of 2024, an independent arbitrator ruled that Rinsch owed Netflix $8.78 million and the rights to any existing show footage. The streamer has declined to comment publicly on the current court proceedings, and it appears that they have completely moved on from the project.
