Director Carl Rinsch has received a 30-month federal prison sentence after a judge considered evidence about his mental health during sentencing in his Netflix fraud case.

Rinsch, who directed 47 Ronin, appeared before Judge Jed Rakoff in a Lower Manhattan courtroom on Monday. A jury convicted him in December of wire fraud and money laundering after prosecutors proved he defrauded Netflix of about $11 million during production of the unfinished sci-fi series White Horse, also known as Conquest.

Prosecutors said Rinsch used much of the money to gamble on cryptocurrency instead of finishing the project. He also spent millions on luxury items.

Rinsch admits mistake

Before the judge handed down the sentence, Rinsch accepted responsibility for his actions.

“I made a mistake,” Rinsch told the judge. “This process has forced me to confront things about myself that I never fully understood before.”

Defence attorney Daniel McGuinness argued that Rinsch’s mental health played a major role in the case.

“Carl is now facing his mental health issues where previously he was unwilling to do so,” McGuinness said. He added that Rinsch “was under the care of a doctor” during production who “was not doing what he was supposed to be doing.”

Judge considers mental health evidence

Rakoff said he “didn’t see signs of psychosis” during the trial. However, he said some of Rinsch’s actions, including buying five Rolls-Royces that were not in his name, showed “someone who has a manic state of mind beyond simple greed.”

The judge also reviewed character letters before sentencing. One came from Keanu Reeves, who became friends with Rinsch after starring in 47 Ronin.

Reeves wrote that he joined “an effort in 2019 to get Carl some support by means of an intervention and professional mental health care, which Carl rejected.”

“Relatedly,” Reeves continued, “I believe circumstances arose where his mental health was compromised by misuse of medications and perhaps other issues, which amplified the acts of his self-sabotage and grandiosity, impacting his relationships, work, and ability to complete ‘Conquest.’”

Sentence and restitution

Rakoff ordered Rinsch to pay about $11 million in restitution. He also ordered him to complete outpatient mental health treatment and avoid narcotics and other drugs. Rinsch must report to prison on Sept. 1.

“The sentence should be sufficient but no more than necessary,” Rakoff concluded.