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The Hollywood filmmaker who directed the Keanu Reeves-led samurai epic, 47 Ronin, has been arrested and charged with multiple accounts of fraud allegedly hiding millions from Netflix for a television show he promised but never delivered.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Carl Eric Linsh was arrested in West Hollywood earlier this week and appeared in federal court to face several charges for fraudulent streaming giants.
Director Carl Eric Linsh will be taking part in the new director’s showcase held in Los Angeles on September 23, 2015 (Getty Images)
The credits also include several short films and commercial ads, Linsh (47), hired by Netflix in 2018 to produce a sci-fi series entitled “White Horse.” After Netflix spent $44 million on the project, the show was only partially finished, DOJ says.
Netflix eventually agreed to relocate another $11 million to a company managed by Rinsch to buy the existing episodes and get the show at the finish line.
However, prosecutor Linsh claims he didn’t spend the money to complete the project. Instead, he used it to fund his lifestyle and made some failed investments.
Within days of receiving Netflix Cash, Linsh allegedly transferred the funds to different bank accounts before consolidating them into a securities account. These funds were then used to purchase securities and cryptocurrencies that proved to have failed investments.
“Less than two months after receiving $11 million… Linsh had lost more than half of these funds,” DOJ says.
He continued to use the remaining cash to pay personal expenses, including hundreds of thousands of dollars for luxury hotel stays and vacation rental properties, over $3.7 million in furniture and antiques, nearly $1 million in beds and linens, and five Rolls-Royce and Ferrari totalling more than $2.4 million. He also spent about $650,000 on watches and clothing.
With the remaining funds, he is said to have paid a portion of his credit card debt, and then tries to hire an attorney, settle the divorce and sue Netflix for more money.
The series is never completed, funds are never returned, and is billed in the document.
At a press conference to promote the film in Tokyo on November 18th, 2013, director Carl Linsh (right) and the cast of ’47 Ronin’ will pos for the photographer. (Getty Images)
Linsh, who lives in Los Angeles, has been charged with wire fraud, money laundering and additional counts related to the scheme, and could face decades in prison if convicted.
This case was investigated by the FBI.
US lawyer Matthew Podolski was called Linsh’s arrest, and brought strong memories of the DOJ and FBI “keeping people on their guard in the fight against fraud and bringing people to trial for fraud and stealing.”
“47 Ronin”, the sole directorial effort to reach the theater in Rinsh boasts a 16% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
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