Keanu Reeves has written to a judge requesting leniency for his friend, director Carl Rinsch, who was found guilty of defrauding Netflix out of $11 million (£8.2 million). The actor, who starred in Rinsch's 2013 film 47 Ronin, described the director as an artistic peer and a friend.
In his letter, Reeves acknowledged he did not know the full details of the case but hoped the sentence would be tempered with leniency and mercy. He suggested that Rinsch tends to self-sabotage by amplifying the scope of projects, which may have contributed to the situation.
Rinsch was convicted of wire fraud and money laundering in December 2025. In 2018, Netflix gave him $44 million to produce a 12-episode series called White Horse, later renamed Conquest. However, he transferred millions to personal accounts, lost much of it on risky stock market bets, and later invested in cryptocurrency, which yielded profits he spent on luxury items.
Despite telling Netflix production was progressing well, Rinsch failed to deliver more than teaser clips, and the series was cancelled. Netflix lost a total of $55 million on the project. An arbitration ruling ordered Rinsch to repay $12 million, which he has not done.
Rinsch faces a potential prison sentence of over 10 years when he is sentenced on 29 June. Reeves' letter, reported by Deadline, urges the court to consider leniency alongside justice.
