A film director who misappropriated about 1.6 billion yen of funds received from Netflix for personal use was indicted by the US government
On March 18, 2025, the Southern District of New York and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) indicted film and television screenwriter and director
Southern District of New York | Los Angeles Director And Writer Charged With $11 Million Fraud In Connection With Streaming Science Fiction Television Show | United States Department of Justice
https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/los-angeles-director-and-writer-charged-11-million-fraud-connection-streaming-science
Feds charge director with $11 million fraud over his unfinished Netflix show | The Verge
Director Carl Rinsch Indicted in Alleged $11 Million Netflix Fraud
https://variety.com/2025/tv/news/carl-rinsch-indicted-netflix-white-horse-conquest-fraud-1236341650/
Rinsch pitched the sci-fi drama series 'White Horse' to Netflix executives in January 2018. According to Variety, an overseas media outlet, at that point Rinsch had finished shooting six episodes and a three-minute trailer.
Netflix then agreed to invest $44 million (approximately 6.57 billion yen) with Rinsh to produce the first season of 'White Horse,' with filming scheduled for several months in 2019 in Kenya, Mexico, Romania and other locations.
However, after filming began in Brazil, Rinsch quickly ran into financial difficulties: According to the court, Rinsch had promised Netflix that he would 'film seven new episodes in addition to the six already shot, and distribute them as one season,' but told them that the $44 million provided by Netflix was enough to produce only one episode.
In response, Netflix paid Rinsch $11 million in advance to cover the costs of producing the first season, in March 2020, as per Rinsch's request.
In June 2020, when filming was temporarily halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Rinsch met with Netflix executives. However, Rinsch spent most of the meeting discussing COVID-19, space, gender theory, and religious views, and revealed very little about the crucial 'completion of the film,' other than saying that 'it is progressing smoothly.'
Ultimately, the lead actor of 'White Horse' dropped out due to production instability, and Netflix decided to cancel the project in the fall of 2020.
According to the indictment filed in the U.S. District Court on March 18, 2025, Rinsch did not use the $11 million provided by Netflix to complete 'White Horse.' In addition, Leslie Backes, assistant director of the FBI's New York branch, pointed out that 'within days of receiving the funds, Rinsch transferred them to another bank account and made personal and speculative investments in securities.'
Although Rinsh's investment failed and the $11 million given by Netflix was almost halved within two months, Rinsh did not use the remaining funds for the production of 'White Horse', but instead used them to purchase virtual currency and for personal expenses. Specifically, he paid $638,000 (about 95 million yen) for a luxury mattress, $295,000 (about 44 million yen) for luxury bedding and linens, $180,000 (about 26 million yen) for kitchen appliances, $3.7 million (about 550 million yen) for furniture, and six luxury cars for $2.4 million (about 358 million yen).
In response to Rinsch's actions, Matthew Podolsky and Bucksea, acting U.S. Attorneys for the Southern District of New York, indicted Rinsch on seven charges, including wire fraud and money laundering. Podolsky said, 'Rinsch orchestrated a scheme to solicit large investments from Netflix and steal millions of dollars. Rinsch claimed the money would fund a television show he was producing, but that was fiction. Rinsch allegedly diverted the funds to personal expenses and investments, including cryptocurrency trading. Rinsch's indictment makes it clear that federal courts and the FBI will remain vigilant in fighting fraud and will bring punishment to those who commit fraud and theft.'
Although Rinsch claims that the luxury cars he purchased were 'props' for filming, the court ruled that they were 'not necessary for the production.'
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