ENTERTAINMENTKeanu Reeves Insisted Hollywood Director Who Stole $11 Million From Netflix's 'Mental Health Was Compromised' in Sentencing Plea
Keanu Reeves met Carl Rinsch on set of their 2013 film '47 Ronin.'
June 30 2026, Published 6:12 p.m. ET
Keanu Reeves has come to the defense of Carl Rinsch, a sci-fi director who was sentenced on Monday, June 29, to 30 months in prison for stealing $11 million from Netflix.
The John Wick actor, 61, met Rinsch, 48, on set of his 2013 samurai film 47 Ronin, and wrote a letter as part of a series of testimonies from character witnesses.
Keanu Reeves' Letter Was Sent in Support of Carl Rinsch
Keanu Reeves came to the defense of Carl Rinsch.
“I believe circumstances arose where his mental health was compromised by misuse of medications and perhaps other issues, which amplified the acts of his self-sabotage and grandiosity,” Reeves penned.
He added, “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."
"I am, of course, not a therapist or psychologist. I write instead as an artistic peer of Carl's, and as a friend,” Reeves continued. “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.”
Keanu Reeves Produced One of Carl Rinsch's Projects
The action star wrote a letter to a judge in support of Carl Rinsch.
The Canadian actor was an investor in Rinsch’s Netflix show White Horse and served as a producer on the project.
Reeves also was present at an intervention for Rinsch staged at the filmmaker's Los Angeles home. At the time, a behavioral health consultant attempted to convince the commercial director to go to rehab.
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Keanu Reeves was a producer on one of Carl Rinsch's projects.
Judge Jed Rakoff of New York City's Federal District Court demanded Rinsch to repay Netflix the $11 million he stole, as well as to partake in an outpatient mental health program and stop his drug usage.
Rinsch was arrested last year and later convicted on 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.
According to prosecutors, the streaming giant paid Rinsch $44 million for a new sci-fi show, and then another $11 million after the Brown University graduate claimed he needed more funding for the project.
'I believe circumstances arose where his mental health was compromised by misuse of medications,' Keanu Reeves wrote.
However, Rinsch put a large chunk of the money into his personal brokerage account, and lost almost half of the $11 million in just a couple of months.
Netflix canceled development of the show in 2021 after Rinsch’s behavior became unpredictable. He reportedly went on a shopping spree and used the money to stay at five-star hotels, and even bought five Rolls-Royces and a Ferrari.
Other items he spent the dough on included luxury mattresses, bedding, linens, watches and new clothes. He also used another $1.8 million to pay off his credit cards.
