Filmmaker Carl Erik Rinsch has been Charged with Wire Fraud and Money Laundering

March 22, 2025

Netflix eventually agreed to transfer $11 million more to a company controlled by Rinsch in order to purchase the existing episodes and get the show over the finish line.

But Rinsch, prosecutors allege, didn’t use that money to complete the project. Instead, they say he used it to fund his lifestyle and make several failed investments.

Within days of receiving the Netflix cash, Rinsch allegedly transferred the funds to different bank accounts before consolidating them into a brokerage account. He then used those funds to purchase securities and cryptocurrencies that proved to be unsuccessful investments.

“In less than two months after receiving $11 million … Rinsch had lost more than half of those funds,” the DOJ says.

He allegedly used the remaining cash to pay for personal expenses, including hundreds of thousands of dollars on luxury hotel stays and vacation rental properties, over $3.7 million on furniture and antiques, nearly $1 million on beds and linen, and five Rolls-Royces and a Ferrari adding up to over $2.4 million. He also spent about $650,000 on clothing and watches.

The series was never completed and the funds were never returned, charging documents state.

Charges

]Title 18, United States Code, Sections 981 and 982; 

Title 21 , United States Code, Section 853; and 

Title 28, United States Code, Section 2461