His lawyers had pleaded for leniency from the judge overseeing the case, arguing that the misuse of funds happened “under the enormity of pressure” in his career and during an “incredibly contentious divorce”.
Although Netflix was never named by prosectors, Rinsch was previously reported to be in a dispute with the company over a planned series initially titled White Horse and later renamed Conquest.
The show, according to court documents, was meant to focus on a scientist who creates a group of powerful clones “banished to a walled area in a Brazilian city, where they began developing advanced technology and came into conflict with humans and each other”.
Rinsch began his feature film directorial career with 47 Ronin, starring Keanu Reeves.
Before Rinsch’s sentencing, Reeves wrote to the judge to ask for “leniency and mercy” for his former director, calling him an “exceptional artist” who was prone to “self-sabotage”.
– AFP