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SearchSearchFacebookTwitterEmailSMSBlue SkyWhatsappPrintRedditFlipboardPinterestLinkedinLatest StoriesPoliticsU.S. NewsWorldSportsSHOPPINGTiplineBusinessCultureScienceHealthPop Culture NewsKeanu Reeves urges ‘mercy’ for director Carl Rinsch, convicted of swindling Netflix out of $11 millionRinsch, 48, faces over 10 years in prison after he was found guilty of federal charges in December.Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00Keanu Reeves in New York City in October.Theo Wargo / Getty Images fileShareAdd NBC News to GoogleMay 28, 2026, 1:57 PM EDTBy Francie EbertKeanu Reeves urged leniency this week for longtime friend and colleague Carl Rinsch, who faces the possibility of more than a decade in prison after being found guilty of scamming $11 million from Netflix.

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Rinsch, 48, was convicted in December of federal charges of money laundering, illegal transactions and wire fraud.

Prosecutors said the director took the Netflix money for a project that never materialized, then spent it on a Ferrari and multiple Rolls-Royces, plus $652,000 on watches and clothing and $3.787 million on furniture and antiques.

In December, prosecutors said the streaming giant paid Rinsch $44 million to complete the sci-fi series “White Horse,” later giving him an additional $11 million after Rinsch claimed he needed the funds to finish production.

In addition to the luxury purchases, prosecutors said, Rinsch moved the money into cryptocurrency and personal accounts. The show was never completed.

Rinsch directed Reeves in the 2011 film “47 Ronin” and the two have remained in touch since then, the “Matrix” and “John Wick” star wrote in a letter filed Tuesday to U.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff of the Southern District of New York.

Reeves wrote in the letter that he became friends with Rinsch and even attended the director’s wedding in Uruguay in 2014.

During one of his frequent visits with Rinsch, Reeves wrote, he was shown a project the director was developing called “White Horse.” Reeves called it “a superb and visionary work of art, although unfinished.”

Reeves continued, saying he has “seen Carl bring exceptional joy and warmth to the people around him” and has seen him included in “wonderful artistic environments where exceptional work was done.”

“I hope you are able to find leniency for this man. To the extent you deem appropriate, I believe such leniency would be a healing act to go along with the punishment he will live with.”

Rinsch faces up to 121 months in prison, or just over 10 years, according to sentencing guidelines his attorneys cited in court documents.

In addition to the $11 million he is expected to pay in restitution to Netflix, the company is also seeking $4.4 million in attorneys’ fees.