47 RONIN DIRECTOR GETS 30 MONTHS FOR NETFLIX HEIST — EVEN KEANU'S PLEA COULDN'T SAVE HIM
Carl Rinsch conned the streaming giant out of $11 million, and despite an assist from his famous star, a federal judge wasn't going easy.
In a Hollywood scheme that sounds like a heist flick nobody greenlit, "47 Ronin" director Carl Rinsch got sentenced Monday to 30 months in federal prison for wire fraud and money laundering — charges a jury convicted him of back in December. The kicker? He'd duped Netflix out of roughly $11 million, according to Deadline.
Here's where it gets wild: Keanu Reeves himself stepped up to bat for his old director, writing a letter to Judge Jed Rakoff asking for leniency. Other character witnesses also spoke to Rinsch's mental health struggles, hoping to soften the judge's heart. And it kind of worked — Rakoff handed down a sentence that was exactly half what prosecutors had recommended, Variety reports.
But even Hollywood's nicest guy couldn't pull off a total save. Judge Rakoff made it crystal clear he wasn't thrilled about the whole scheme, condemning Rinsch's "money laundering & lies" from the bench. Sometimes a crime's a crime — even when Keanu Reeves is on your side!
Sources · Variety · Deadline