TV director faces bills for $11 million scam in code, luxury car explosion

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has accused TV director Carl Eric Linsh of scaming a major $11 million streaming company.

In a statement on March 18th, US lawyer Matthew Podolski said:

“Karl Eric Linsh has adjusted a scheme that steals millions by seeking large investments from video streaming services, claiming that money will be used to fund the television shows he is creating.

If convicted, Linsh faces severe legal penalties. A wire fraud claim will be subject to a maximum of 20 years in prison, but the money laundering fee could add another 20 years.

Additionally, he faces illegal financial transactions of five counts, each serving a maximum sentence of 10 years.

Misuse of production funds

Linsh initially secured funding to produce the TV series Whitehorse from the streaming platform (reportedly Netflix).

Between 2018 and 2019, the company paid about $44 million to cover existing episodes and complete the project. However, between 2019 and 2020, he asked for an additional $11 million, claiming that the series should be finished.

Instead of allocating funds to production, Linsh raised money for personal investments. He moved funds from a company account to a securities account and engaged in speculative securities trading.

His strategy turned out to be miserable, with more than half of his funds being lost in less than two months.

Despite these economic set-offs, Linsh did not direct the remaining funds towards the white horse. Instead, he spent money on luxury purchases, including $1.7 million in credit card payments, $3.7 million in furniture and bone ants, and $2.4 million in luxury cars.

He also allocated about $1 million to litigation costs, including lawsuits against streaming companies and divorce-related costs.

Additional luxury purchases included high-end watches, luxurious bedding and extended stays at a five-star hotel.