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 accountant who specialized in accounting services for independent films. As a production accountant, Mandel oversaw cash flow, payroll and expenses, and added funds to prepaid debit cards issued by CASHét, which are commonly used in the film industry, according to federal prosecutors.
Mandel was also trusted as an authorized user for bank accounts belonging to production companies. Prosecutors allege Mandel misappropriated funds belonging to the film productions by writing unauthorized checks, making unauthorized wire transfers and moving funds into a CASHét account he controlled called “Fun Fun Fun.”
The U.S. Attorney’s Office contends Mandel used the embezzled money to maintain a lavish lifestyle, including paying hundreds of thousands of dollars to various young women, including pornographic film actresses and a woman he met through a “sugar daddy” website; spending more than $24,000 at Las Vegas hotels, clubs and shows; and purchasing at least $12,000 in luxury items from Louis Vuitton.
To hide his scheme, Mandel allegedly used funds from one production company to pay expenses incurred by another, in the style of a Ponzi scheme, prosecutors said.
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