A Hollywood writer-director was arrested on charges that he swindled US$11 million (HK$85.8 million) from Netflix for a sci-fi show that never aired, instead steering the cash toward cryptocurrency investments and a series of lavish purchases that included a fleet of Rolls-Royces and a Ferrari.

Carl Erik Rinsch - perhaps best known for directing the film "47 Ronin" - has been charged with wire fraud and money laundering over what federal prosecutors allege was a scheme to defraud the streaming giant.

Prosecutors said Netflix had initially paid about US$44 million to purchase an unfinished show called "White Horse" from Rinsch, but eventually doled out another US$11 million after he said he needed the additional cash to complete the show.

Rather than using the extra money to wrap up production, Rinsch quietly transferred the money to a personal brokerage account, where he made a series of failed investments that lost about half of the US$11 million in two months, according to prosecutors.

The filmmaker then dumped the rest of the money into the cryptocurrency market, which proved to be a profitable move, with Rinsch eventually transferring the earnings into a personal bank account, according to an indictment. From there, Rinsch spent about US$10 million on personal expenses and luxury items in a spending spree that, according to prosecutors, included about US$1.8 million on credit card bills, US$1 million on lawyers to sue Netflix for more money, US$3.8 million on furniture and antiques, US$2.4 million for five Rolls-Royces and one Ferrari, and US$652,000 on watches and clothes.

Rinsch, 47, was arrested in West Hollywood, California, and had an initial court hearing on Tuesday.

He appeared in a federal courtroom in Los Angeles in a turtleneck sweater and jeans with shackles on his arms and legs.

He did not enter a plea and spoke only to answer a judge's questions. When asked if he had read the indictment against him, he said "not cover to cover" but told the judge he understood the charges.

US Magistrate Judge Pedro V Castillo ordered that he be released later the same day after he agreed to post a US$100,000 bond to assure he'll appear in court in New York, where his indictment was filed.

Rinsch's New York court date had not yet been set.

Associated Press

Carl Erik Rinsch AP

Hollywood director charged with defrauding Netflix of US$11m