Director is sentenced to 30 months in prison for million-dollar fraud against US studio

Carl Rinsch is arrested for embezzling money from the series
Shuji Kajiyama/AP
Director Carl Rinsch was sentenced to 30 months in prison in the United States, this Monday (29), for committing a US$11 million fraud against the studio of the series "Conquest", which was never aired.
Arrested in March 2025, he was found guilty by the jury in the case in December. According to the prosecution, he used the amount given by Netflix to finish recording the production in cryptocurrencies, to buy cars and other luxuries.
Initially called "White Horse", the series was a science fiction epic filmed in several countries, including Brazil, and had names such as Keanu Reeves and Bruna Marquezine in the cast.
The Hollywood star, who had already worked with Rinsch in the film "47 Ronins" (2013), was one of the people who wrote to the judge in testimony about the filmmaker's mental health issues.
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Reeves said he participated in "an effort in 2019 to get Carl help with mental health intervention and treatment, which Carl rejected," according to "Variety."
The judge ordered Rinsch to report to federal prison on September 1.
The series that never aired
"Conquest" was canceled in 2023, due to the director's "erratic behavior" and embezzlement of money. The news was reported by The New York Times in a story titled "The Strange $55 Million Saga of a Netflix Series You'll Never See."
"Shortly after signing the contract, Mr. Rinsch's behavior became erratic, according to members of the show's cast and crew, texts and emails reviewed by The New York Times, and court filings in a divorce case filed by his wife. He claimed to have discovered the secret transmission mechanism of Covid-19 and was able to predict lightning", says the article.
According to "Variety", the series planned for several months of filming in Kenya, Mexico, Romania, Berlin, Hungary and Uruguay in 2019. Rinsch began filming in São Paulo, Brazil, and quickly ran over budget, according to court records.
Despite the promise to deliver seven episodes, he reportedly informed Netflix that he would only be able to complete a single episode with the money provided.

Source: G1