A film production accountant from California’s San Fernando Valley was charged in a federal grand jury indictment alleging he embezzled more than $1.9 million from independent movie productions, using the funds to stay at Las Vegas hotels and socialize with adult film actresses, the Justice Department announced on Aug. 8.
Joshua Mandel, 46, of Woodland Hills, CA, was charged with six counts of wire fraud. He is expected to make his initial appearance and be arraigned on Sept. 10 in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles.
According to the indictment returned last Thursday, Mandel owned the Woodland Hills-based company First J Productions Inc., where he served as both its CEO and CFO. He also worked as a film production accountant who specialized in accounting services for indie films.
As a production accountant, Mandel oversaw cash flow, payroll, and expenses for the film productions, authorities said. He also added funds to prepaid debit cards issued by CASHét Card, a MasterCard payment system designed for film, television, and live touring productions, and was an authorized user for bank accounts belonging to the production companies.
From 2019 to 2023, Mandel allegedly misappropriated funds belonging to the film productions by writing unauthorized checks, making unauthorized wire transfers, and moving funds into a CASHét Card account he controlled called “Fun Fun Fun,” according to the indictment.
Mandel also is accused of using the embezzled money to maintain his lifestyle, including paying hundreds of thousands of dollars to various young women, including pornographic actresses, and more than $129,000 to a woman he met through a “sugar daddy” website. Authorities said he also spent more than $24,000 at Las Vegas hotels, clubs, and shows, and purchased more than $12,000 in luxury items from Louis Vuitton.
To hide his scheme, Mandel used funds from one production company to pay expenses incurred by another, authorities said.
If convicted of all charges, Mandel would face a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for each count.
The FBI is investigating this matter.
Photo credit: baona/iStock
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Tags: accountant, Accounting, embezzlement, indictment, wire fraud
