Keanu Reeves Speaks Out on '47 Ronin' Director's Netflix Fraud Case, Asks for 'Leniency and Mercy'
Keanu Reeves has come out in support of director Carl Rinsch, who directed the actor's 2013 action fantasy film 47 Ronin. Rinsch is currently facing a fraud case worth over $11 million involving Netflix, with Reeves asking for some leniency.
According to Entertainment Weekly, documents obtained reveal the actor submitted a letter on May 1 to Judge Jed Rakoff. The John Wick star admits he doesn't fully know the details of the case of Rinsch's involvement in the fraud allegations.
"I do not know the details of this case," said Reeves. "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."
Back in December, it was reported that Rinsch 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. The details were announced by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York.
It was reported that Rinsch had received $11 million in funding from an unnamed streaming service, now known to be Netflix. The money was planned to be used to supplement the production budget of a sci-fi series titled White Horse by the director. It was later revealed that Rinsch instead used the money for personal investments.
Later reports claim that Rinsch was first given $44 million by the streaming platform from 2018 to 2019, and asked for an additional $11 million to complete the series. The USAO then stated that the $11 million was moved in various accounts before entering Rinsch's personal brokerage account. The remaining money was used on cryptocurrency and personal purchases.
Reeves also addressed in his letter that he's advocating for Rinsch as an "artistic peer" and "friend." He states that "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."
Rinsch could face up to 90 years in prison if given a full sentence, with Reeves asking for leniency "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."
47 Ronin was a box office flop as it made $151 million versus its $225 million budget. It was Rinsch's sole directorial credit, with a sequel having been released on Netflix in 2022.
Copyright 2026 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved
This story was originally published May 28, 2026 at 2:11 PM.