Netflix Director Convicted of Diverting $11M Production Funds to Crypto Speculation
Hollywood director Carl Rinsch faces decades in prison after being convicted of wire fraud for misappropriating $11 million in Netflix production funding. The funds, earmarked for his sci-fi series 'Conquest,' were funneled into high-risk cryptocurrency trades and luxury purchases instead.
Rinsch's scheme unraveled when forensic accounting revealed the diverted funds—part of a $44 million total budget—moving through shell accounts before being wagered on crypto markets. The conviction underscores persistent risks in entertainment financing as streaming platforms scale production budgets.