Overview
- A federal judge sentenced Rinsch on Tuesday to 30 months in prison, ordered roughly $11 million in restitution and imposed three years of supervised release with mandatory mental‑health treatment.
- A Manhattan jury found Rinsch guilty in December 2025 of electronic fraud and money laundering for diverting an $11 million Netflix payment meant for the unfinished series White Horse/Conquest.
- Prosecutors said Rinsch moved the $11 million into speculative trades in options and cryptocurrencies and spent large sums on luxury items such as Rolls‑Royce cars, a Ferrari, expensive watches, furniture and hotel stays.
- The defense presented evidence of severe mental‑health problems and Keanu Reeves submitted a letter asking for leniency; the judge reduced the sentence below the prosecutors’ request and the defense has said it will appeal, with Rinsch to surrender in September.
- Netflix had earlier spent roughly $44 million and a total near $55 million on the project, won prior arbitration and wrote off losses, and full recovery of its investment appears unlikely given Rinsch’s limited assets.