Carl Erik Rinsch, the Hollywood director, was sentenced on Monday to two and a half years in jail for defrauding Netflix of $11 million.
The 48-year-old director, who made his feature directorial debut with the 2013 film ’47 Ronin,’ was convicted of wire fraud and money laundering in December 2025.
Prosecutors said Rinsch told Netflix he needed the additional funding to complete a 12-episode series titled ‘White Horse’, later renamed ‘Conquest’.
According to prosecutors, Netflix had already paid Rinsch about $44 million for the series in 2018 and 2019 before providing another $11 million in 2020 after he claimed he needed more money to wrap up production.
However, he diverted the money into a personal account and spent it on lavish purchases, including five Rolls-Royces, a red Ferrari, $652,000 worth of watches and clothing, $638,000 on two mattresses, and another $295,000 on luxury bedding and linens.
