An accountant from the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles was charged by the Department of Justice for embezzling more than $1.9 million from film productions that employed him.
Joshua Mandel, 46, was charged with six counts of wire fraud. He used the funds to stay at Las Vegas hotels and "socialize with pornographic actresses," according to the Justice Department.
According to the indictment, Mandel owned First J Productions, where he served as both CEO and chief financial officer. He also worked as a film production accountant, specializing in accounting services for independent film. In this role, he oversaw cash flow, payroll, expenses, added funds to prepaid debit cards issued by CASHét Card that are commonly used in the film industry, and was an authorized user for bank accounts belonging to the production companie
From 2019 to 2023, Mandel misappropriated funds belonging to film productions by wiring unauthorized checks, making unauthorized wire transfers, and moving funds into a CASHét Card account he controlled called "Fun Fun Fun." He hid his scheme by using funds from one production company to pay expenses incurred by another.
He used the money to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to young women, including pornographic actresses, and more than $129,000 to a woman he met through a "sugar daddy" website; spend over $24,000 in Las Vegas hotels, clubs and shows; and purchase more than $12,000 in luxury items from Louis Vuitton.
If convicted of all charges, Mandel would face a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for each count.
