Carl Rinsch could face up to 90 years in prison if he receives the maximum sentencing for each charge.

Keanu Reeves requests ‘leniency and mercy’ for his *47 Ronin *director in sentencing for $11M Netflix fraud case

Carl Rinsch could face up to 90 years in prison if he receives the maximum sentencing for each charge.

By Marina Watts

Marina Watts

Marina Watts is a news writer for with seven years experience covering entertainment, pop culture and celebrity news. Her previous work appears in PEOPLE, Bustle and Newsweek.

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on May 28, 2026 1:40 p.m. ET

Keanu Reeves in October 2025. Credit:

Theo Wargo/Getty

- Keanu Reeves asked for "leniency and mercy" in the sentencing of his *47 Ronin *director, Carl Rinsch, in an $11 million fraud case.

- "To the extent you deem appropriate, I believe such leniency would be a healing act, to go along with the punishment he will live with," Reeves wrote in a letter to the judge.

- The director was convicted of one count of wire fraud, one count of money laundering, and five counts of engaging in monetary transactions in property derived from specified unlawful activity in December.

Keanu Reeves is speaking out amid the sentencing of his *47 Ronin *director, Carl Rinsch, over a $11 million fraud case involving Netflix.

According to court documents obtained and reviewed by **, the* John Wick *actor has asked for "leniency and mercy" ahead of a federal judge's sentencing of Rinsch, who was convicted of one count of wire fraud, one count of money laundering, and five counts of engaging in monetary transactions in property derived from specified unlawful activity in a scheme to steal $11 million from a "subscription video on-demand streaming service" in December 2025.

The streaming service in question was Netflix, reported *The New York Times *last year.

"I do not know the details of this case," Reeves began his May 1 letter to Judge Jed Rakoff. "But based upon what I do know about Carl, I did want to take the opportunity to write on his behalf, in the hope that his sentence might be tempered with measures of leniency and mercy as well as justice."

The poster art for '47 Ronin'.

Universal Pictures /Courtesy Everett

Reeves wrote that he has known the director for 15 years, having stayed in touch with him after they worked together on *47 Ronin, *and called Rinsch "an exceptional artist."

"I am, of course, not a therapist or psychologist. I write instead as an artistic peer of Carl's, and as a friend," Reeves said. "In my opinion, Carl can self-sabotage by amplifying the scale, scope, and landscape of what had been negotiated, accordingly placing himself and his counterparties at odds. I do not intend to share this as an excuse or diminishment of what he was found to have done, but offer this solely as perhaps an insight into why."

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Reeves concluded the letter by saying he has seen Rinsch "bring exceptional joy and warmth to people around him" and "bring creative inspiration to others through his creativity and vision."

"I hope you are able to find leniency for this man," he added. "To the extent you deem appropriate, I believe such leniency would be a healing act, to go along with the punishment he will live with."

Carl Rinsch in 2015.

John Sciulli/Getty

The U.S. Attorney's Office claimed that Rinsch had received $11 million from the streaming service for the production budget for his sci-fi series *White Horse*. Instead, Rinsch used the funds for personal investments. The streamer had given the director $44 million between 2018 and 2019. He then requested an additional $11 million, which he received in 2020.

Prosecutors claimed that after he received the $11 million, the director transferred the money to several accounts and made "a number of personal and speculative purchases of securities." They claimed that Rinsch spent the remaining sum on cryptocurrency and personal investments such as cars, antique furniture, and a six-figure Swiss watch.

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"Carl Erik Rinsch took $11 million meant for a TV show and gambled it on speculative stock options and crypto transactions," U.S. attorney Jay Clayton said at the time. "Today's conviction shows that when someone steals from investors, we will follow the money and hold them accountable."

One of Rinsch's lawyers, Benjamin Zeman, responded to the claims in a statement to EW in December, saying, "I think the verdict was wrong, and I fear that this could set a dangerous precedent for artists who become embroiled in contractual and creative disputes with their benefactors, in this case one of the largest media companies in the world, finding themselves indicted by the federal government for fraud."

Keanu Reeves and Hiroyuki Sanada in 2013's '47 Ronin'.

Frank Connor/Universal Pictures/Courtesy Everett

"Any prison sentence will be felt acutely by Carl, who never saw the inside of a jail cell before this case," his attorneys Zeman and Daniel McGuinness wrote in a letter dated May 28, according to new court documents. "Additionally, the collateral consequences of this case — the devastating reputational and professional fallout — have already specifically deterred any future similar conduct."

Rinsch's attorneys concluded, "A non-incarceratory sentence would be sufficient, but not greater than necessary to achieve the ends of justice."

Rinsch faces up to 90 years in prison if he receives the maximum sentencing for each count. He is set to be sentenced on June 29.

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