Keanu Reeves asks for ‘leniency’ in sentencing of friend Carl Rinsch

• Keanu Reeves has asked for “leniency” in the sentencing of his friend, director Carl Rinsch, who was found guilty of scamming Netflix out of $11m (£8.2m).
• The actor wrote to the judge saying that while he “did not know the details” of the case, he hoped that Rinsch’s sentence “might be tempered with measures of leniency and mercy as well as justice”.
• Rinsch received the funds from Netflix to produce White Horse , a 12-episode series, but allegedly transferred the money to personal accounts.
• He reportedly lost “most of the money through speculation on the stock market” and later spent profits from cryptocurrency investments on luxury items, according to court documents.
• Rinsch was found guilty of wire fraud and money laundering in December 2025.

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Keanu Reeves asks judge for leniency for director friend who scammed Netflix for $11m