A former movie producer and accountant has been arrested on federal charges alleging he defrauded victims, including independent film projects, of more than $12 million. David Raymond Brown, 39, who previously lived in Sherman Oaks and now resides in West Columbia, South Carolina, faces a 21-count indictment. The charges include nine counts of wire fraud, ten counts of transactional money laundering, and two counts of aggravated identity theft.
Brown appeared in United States District Court in Columbia, South Carolina. His arraignment is scheduled to take place in Los Angeles in the coming weeks.
According to the indictment returned by a federal grand jury on August 20, Brown worked on various independent film projects as a producer, unit production manager, and production accountant. Prosecutors allege that from December 2021 to August 2025 he misappropriated funds from film production companies by transferring money into accounts he controlled.
The indictment states that Brown used his company Hollywood Covid Testing LLC to bill for COVID-19 testing services that were never provided or had already been paid for. He allegedly submitted false or duplicate invoices to create the appearance that these payments were legitimate production expenses.
Brown is also accused of convincing an individual referred to as “Victim 1” to invest with him in real estate through a house-flipping business but instead used most of Victim 1’s funds for personal expenses. Another person identified as “Victim 2” was persuaded to invest in Film Holdings Capital—a company controlled by Brown—under the promise it would finance film projects. Instead, prosecutors say Brown spent much of this money on personal items and repaid earlier victims using new investors’ funds.
To gain credibility with Victim 2 and secure further investment, Brown provided a copy of another person’s IMDb profile claiming it was his own. He also concealed negative information about himself—including a May 2023 Los Angeles Times article detailing fraud accusations and several lawsuits alleging fraud—to prevent his victims from ending their business relationships with him.
Prosecutors allege that victim funds were used for personal purchases such as luxury vehicles (including a Mercedes-Benz G-Wagon and three Teslas), mortgage payments, home remodeling (including nearly $99,000 for pool installation), buying a house for his mother, surrogacy-related expenses exceeding $70,000, private school tuition payments, and over $970,000 related to an untitled film project about Patricia Hearst’s kidnapping by the Symbionese Liberation Army.
Brown is further accused of deceiving third parties into signing backdated loan documents and withholding health insurance payments from employees’ payroll while failing to maintain their coverage—all actions intended to conceal misuse of funds.
The total loss reported exceeds $12 million.
“An indictment contains allegations. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.”
If convicted on all charges, Brown could face up to 20 years per wire fraud count and up to ten years per money laundering count; each aggravated identity theft count carries an additional mandatory two-year consecutive sentence.
The case is being investigated by the FBI and IRS Criminal Investigation divisions. Assistant United States Attorneys Alexander B. Schwab (Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division), Joshua O. Mausner (Terrorism and Export Crimes Section), and Sarah E. Spielberger (Asset Forfeiture and Recovery Section) are prosecuting the case.
