United Kingdom, May 28 -- Keanu Reeves has asked a judge to show "leniency" towards Carl Rinsch.

The filmmaker has been found guilty of using an $11 million budget he obtained from Netflix to produce a TV series for personal use, but Keanu - who worked with Rinsch on the 2013 movie 47 Ronin - has written a letter in support of his former co-star.

In a letter to Judge Jed S. Rakoff, which has been obtained by People, Keanu said: "I am writing in support of Carl Rinsch in connection with his upcoming sentencing. I do not know the details of this case. But based upon what I do know about Carl, I did want to take the opportunity to write on his behalf, in the hope that his sentence might be tempered with measures of leniency and mercy as we...