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7/2/2025, 6:33:44 AM
>>212253996
For me it's Scully in any episode in any context.
For me it's Scully in any episode in any context.
5/28/2025, 9:01:18 PM
>>1774375
Chris used a tax loophole. Quick Google:
"Private investors could put their dough in a special fund and claim a tax write off for any money spent on German movie/TV production. Most of this money ended up getting spent on Hollywood films with little to no German involvement (the whole point of the scheme in the first place - boost local film industry)
Ascendant Pictures/Chris received hundreds of millions of dollars (I can't find an exact figure) from one of these funds (VIP Mediafonds) to make an entire slate of pictures.
Only 20% of the money actually got spent on movies. The remaining 80% got funneled through a series of shell companies (sound familiar?) and siphoned off as 'consultancy fees' for the VIP Mediafonds crew.
Chris and co would then get bank loans for the missing money using the 80% as collateral. Investors in this scheme weren't told this, and any profits from the films had go to paying back the bank loans.
The whole thing eventually collapsed, the German government closed the loophole, the investors sued and the head of VIP Mediafonds went to prison.
Chris and Ortwin Freyermuth were summoned by a judge to answer questions during the trial (basically, 'what happened to all that money bro? wheres the contracts? etc'). They sold Ascendant Pictures 10 days before their scheduled appearance and were able to avoid having to testify under oath. Good piece of timing.
All three main guys from Ascendant now work at CIG btw. Another Ascendant guy later went to prison for a separate fraud after he conned a retired firefighter out of his life savings"
Chris used a tax loophole. Quick Google:
"Private investors could put their dough in a special fund and claim a tax write off for any money spent on German movie/TV production. Most of this money ended up getting spent on Hollywood films with little to no German involvement (the whole point of the scheme in the first place - boost local film industry)
Ascendant Pictures/Chris received hundreds of millions of dollars (I can't find an exact figure) from one of these funds (VIP Mediafonds) to make an entire slate of pictures.
Only 20% of the money actually got spent on movies. The remaining 80% got funneled through a series of shell companies (sound familiar?) and siphoned off as 'consultancy fees' for the VIP Mediafonds crew.
Chris and co would then get bank loans for the missing money using the 80% as collateral. Investors in this scheme weren't told this, and any profits from the films had go to paying back the bank loans.
The whole thing eventually collapsed, the German government closed the loophole, the investors sued and the head of VIP Mediafonds went to prison.
Chris and Ortwin Freyermuth were summoned by a judge to answer questions during the trial (basically, 'what happened to all that money bro? wheres the contracts? etc'). They sold Ascendant Pictures 10 days before their scheduled appearance and were able to avoid having to testify under oath. Good piece of timing.
All three main guys from Ascendant now work at CIG btw. Another Ascendant guy later went to prison for a separate fraud after he conned a retired firefighter out of his life savings"
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