‘47 Ronin’ Director Gets 30 Months for Gambling Netflix Funds on Crypto

Carl Rinsch directed “47 Ronin,” starring Keanu Reeves. Netflix provided about $44 million between 2018 and 2019 to produce the science-fiction series “White Horse,” followed by another $11 million on March 6, 2020, to complete the project. Rinsch instead transferred about $10.5 million to his personal brokerage account, turning the case into a warning about controls over streaming-platform production funds.

U.S. District Judge Jed S. Rakoff in Manhattan sentenced Rinsch to 30 months in prison on June 29, 2026, and ordered him to report to prison in September. A jury convicted him in December 2025 on seven counts, including wire fraud and money laundering. He initially lost more than half the money on stock options, later profited from Dogecoin, and bought five Rolls-Royces and one Ferrari. The charges carried a combined maximum sentence of 90 years, while prosecutors had sought five years.