Actor Keanu Reeves wrote a letter to a New York City judge in support of Carl Rinsch, the filmmaker who was found guilty of stealing $11 million from Netflix to produce a series called ‘White Horse’ that was never finished in December 2025.

Filmmaker Charged With Criminal Theft

In March 2025, Rinsch was charged with stealing $11 million from Netflix to fund a personal project that he never finished. A criminal trial ensued, and in December 2025, he was found guilty on one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering.

As his friend’s sentencing approaches, Reeves has asked Judge Jed S. Rakoff for leniency in a letter dated May 1. He asked that when determining the length of his jail sentence, “it might be tempered with measures of leniency and mercy as well as justice.“

“I am writing in support of Carl Rinsch in connection with his upcoming sentencing. I do not know the details of this case. 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,” Reeves wrote.

Reeves and Rinsch became good friends after working on the 2013 movie ‘47 Ronin’ together, in which the 61-year-old actor starred as Kai, the samurai, in 1600s Japan. Reeves wrote he even attended the filmmaker’s wedding in Uruguay in 2014. 

Letter of Support

In his letter of support, Reeves noted that Rinsch showed him the unfinished version of ‘White Horse’ that Netflix contracted him to create, but was never produced in full. Reeves also contributed financially to the series and was a producer. 

“In my opinion, Carl is an exceptional artist, and White Horse, in the form in which I saw it, was a superb and visionary work of art, although unfinished,” Reeves wrote. 

“I am, of course, not a therapist or psychologist. I write instead as an artistic peer of Carl’s, and as a friend. 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 has been found to have done, but offer this solely as perhaps an insight into why,” he continued.

U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Statement

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York posted a statement on December 11, 2025, regarding Rinsch’s conviction and the true nature of the crime. The filmmaker is not being punished for not finishing the film; the funds were put forth, but he did not use them as intended. 

Rinsch “used those funds to make a number of personal and speculative purchases of securities,” and when his trading was unsuccessful he began using “the money to speculate on cryptocurrency, and on personal expenses and luxury items, including at least $1.7 million on credit card bills; at least $3.3 million on furniture, antiques, and mattresses; at least $387,000 on a Swiss watch; and at least $2.4 million on five Rolls Royces and a red Ferrari.”

Upcoming Sentencing 

“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. “Today’s conviction shows that when someone steals from investors, we will follow the money and hold them accountable.”

Both charges, including wire fraud and money laundering, carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, and for engaging in monetary transactions in property derived from specified unlawful activity, it could impose a maximum of 10 years. 

Rinsch is looking at a maximum sentence of 40 years for fraud and money laundering, and an additional 50 years for all five counts of monetary transactions. Netflix is also seeking $11 million in restitution and an additional $4.4 million for attorney fees. He is to be sentenced on June 29, 2026, and prosecutors will make their recommendations on June 16.

Keanu Reeves’ Closing Words

“I have seen Carl bring exceptional joy and warmth to the people around him. I have seen him bring creative inspiration to others through his creativity and vision,” Reeves wrote. “I have seen and been a part of wonderful artistic environments where exceptional work was done with him.“

“I hope you are able to find leniency for this man. 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. Thank you for your consideration,” the actor concluded.