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Hollywood director charged with defrauding $11m from Netflix

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A Hollywood director has been arrested and accused of using studio funds intended to complete a sci-fi series to buy luxury cars, cryptocurrency and fancy bedding for himself.

Carl Erik Rinsch, 47, is charged with federal fraud and money laundering related to $11m (£8.5m) he was given by Netflix to create a series called White Horse.

Mr Rinsch, who is best known for the 2013 film 47 Ronin, declined to enter a plea when appearing in a Los Angeles court on Tuesday.

The indictment does not name Netflix, referring to a “subscription video on-demand streaming service”, but Mr Rinsch’s long-running dispute with Netflix over the failed series has been previously publicised in US media reports.

Netflix has declined to comment on his arrest.

Between 2018 to 2019, the streaming giant gave Mr Rinsch an initial budget of $44m to film the show, which depicts artificial human clones, but he allegedly never completed a single episode.

In March 2020, Netflix sent him another $11m after he argued that the initial budget was “not sufficient”, according to prosecutors.

But instead of using the funds for the series, he allegedly transferred them to his personal bank accounts and used it to invest in several risky financial ventures, the US Justice Department said.

“Carl Erik Rinsch orchestrated a scheme to steal millions by soliciting a large investment from a video streaming service, claiming that money would be used to finance a television show that he was creating,” prosecutor Matthew Podolsky said in a statement on Tuesday.

“But that was fiction.”

Only two months after receiving the $11m, about half of it had already been spent, the indictment says.

While he “was in the process of losing” the money, Mr Rinsch allegedly informed Netflix that the show was “awesome and moving forward really well”, according to the indictment.

He allegedly used the remaining funds to speculate on cryptocurrency, and on personal expenses and luxury items for himself, including a fleet of Rolls-Royces and a Ferrari, court documents state.

The spending spree also included $1.8m for credit card bills, $3.7m on furniture and antiques and $933,000 on mattresses and luxury bedding, the Justice Department states.

The indictment also alleges that $1m of the cash was sent to lawyers to sue Netflix in hopes of receiving more funds, and for a divorce.

A profile of the dispute published by the New York Times in 2023 reported that friends and colleagues had described Mr Rinsch of growing increasingly erratic shortly after he signed the Netflix deal.

The newspaper reports that he believed he could predict lightning strikes and volcanic eruptions and knew about a “secret transmission mechanism” for Covid-19.

According to the Associated Press, Mr Rinsch made an initial court appearance on Tuesday. When asked by the judge whether he had read the 12-page indictment, he reportedly responded, “Not cover to cover”.

He was released on a $100,000 bail, and he is expected to attend trial in New York at a later date. If found guilty, he faces 20 years in prison.

(BBC News)

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Star Wars actor Kenneth Colley dies aged 87

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Star Wars actor Kenneth Colley has died after contracting Covid and developing pneumonia, his agent has announced

Star Wars actor Kenneth Colley has died at the age of 87, his agent has announced.

The film and television performer is best known for starring in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi as Admiral Piett, an imperial officer in command of Darth Vader’s flagship.

He died peacefully at his home in Ashford, Kent, on Monday after contracting Covid and developing pneumonia, his agent Julian Owen said in a statement.

“Ken Colley was one of our finest character actors with a career spanning 60 years,” Mr Owens said.

“Ken continually worked on stage, film and television playing a vast array of characters, from Jesus in Monty Python’s Life of Brian to evil and eccentric characters in Ken Russell films, and the Duke of Vienna in Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure for the BBC.”

The statement said Colley had been admitted to hospital with an injured arm after a fall, but he quickly contracted Covid which developed into pneumonia.

He died with friends at his bedside, it added.

In later years, Colley reprised his role of Admiral Piett when he voiced the character in the 2012 animated Lego production, Lego Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Out.

He also had parts in international productions including Clint Eastwood’s Firefox and the Second World War series War and Remembrance.

Mr Owen said Colley’s paticipation in Star Wars led him to being invited to conventions and fan events all over the world.

“Ken also loved his garden, art collecting and had a passion for fast cars,” he added.

Colley is also known for playing Jesus in Monty Python’s Life of Brian alongside John Cleese, Graham Chapman and Michael Palin.

(BBC News)

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‘Diddy’ denied bail after being cleared of most serious charges

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A judge has denied bail to Sean “Diddy” Combs after a jury convicted the hip-hop mogul of transportation to engage in prostitution, but acquitted him of the most serious charges: racketeering and sex-trafficking.

Lawyers for the recording artist had argued he posed no flight risk, pointing out his jet is being chartered in Hawaii.

But Judge Arun Subramanian cited Combs’ history of violence as he ruled the rapper must remain behind bars until sentencing later this year when he faces up to 20 years in prison.

In the nearly two-month federal trial in New York City, prosecutors accused Combs of using his celebrity status and business empire to run a criminal enterprise to sex traffic women.

A panel of 12 jurors deliberated for 13 hours before acquitting Combs of three of the most serious five charges.

He will continue to be held at the same federal jail in Brooklyn where he has been detained since last September.

The sentencing was tentatively scheduled for 3 October.

(BBC News)

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SRK confirmed as special guest at “City of Dreams” launch

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It has been officially announced that Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan will indeed be joining the grand opening of the “City of Dreams Sri Lanka” on Aug. 02 as a special guest.

The “City of Dreams Sri Lanka” has confirmed this in a statement on Facebook.

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