A Hollywood director has been convicted of scamming Netflix out of 11 million dollars (£8 million) for a show that never materialised.

Carl Erik Rinsch instead used the cash for lavish purchases including several Rolls-Royces, a Ferrari and about a million dollars (£740,000) in mattresses and luxury bedding.

Rinsch, best known for directing Keanu Reeves film 47 Ronin, was convicted of wire fraud, money laundering and other charges, according to court records and a spokesperson for federal prosecutors in New York.

In a statement, his lawyer Benjamin Zeman said the verdict was wrong and “could set a dangerous precedent for artists who become embroiled in contractual and creative disputes with their benefactors, in this case one of the largest media companies in the world, finding themselv

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