A film accountant from the San Fernando Valley pleaded not guilty Wednesday to charges alleging he embezzled nearly $2 million from production companies that hired him, using the funds for Las Vegas trips and hookups with pornographic film actresses and a woman he met through a “sugar daddy” website.
Joshua Mandel, 46, of Woodland Hills is charged in Los Angeles federal court with six counts of wire fraud, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
At his arraignment, a tentative trial date of Nov. 4 was set. If convicted, Mandel would face up to 20 years behind bars on each count.
Mandel owned the Woodland Hills-based company First J Productions Inc., where he served as both its chief executive and chief financial officer, the indictment states.
He also worked as a film production accou