A Hollywood producer claims a hit true-crime documentary about the entertainment industry’s biggest Ponzi scheme falsely painted him as a fraudster’s right-hand man – wrecking his career and costing him a movie project.
Filmmaker Julio Hallivis, whose credits include Curvature and Trespassers, has sued Amazon, Vice Studios and “Tiger King” producer Rebecca Chaiklin over “Hollywood Hustler: Glitz, Glam, Scam,” a three-part documentary examining convicted fraudster Zach Horwitz’s $650 million rip off.
Hallivis alleges the series falsely portrays him as Horwitz’s accomplice and implies he knew about the scheme, despite having no involvement in the fraud.
According to the lawsuit, the fallout has already damaged his career. Hallivis claims that after the documentary premiered, a well-known actor withdrew from a film project he was developing.
The series chronicles how Horwitz was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison in 2022 after orchestrating what prosecutors described as the largest Ponzi scheme in Hollywood history.
Horwitz defrauded hundreds of investors through his company, 1inMM Capital, by falsely claiming he was acquiring international film distribution rights that would later be licensed to major streaming platforms including Netflix and HBO.
Instead, prosecutors said Horwitz used investor funds to repay earlier investors, purchase a $5.7 million mansion, charter private jets and bankroll a lavish lifestyle.
According to court filings, Hallivis argues that the documentary creates the impression he was involved in the scheme through selective editing, photographs and commentary from people connected to the case.
One example cited in the lawsuit centers on photographs of Hallivis and Horwitz together during Golden Globes festivities in 2018 at the height of Horwitz’s rise in Hollywood.
In the documentary, a former Horwitz associate claims members of the group never actually attended the star-studded Golden Globe Awards ceremony at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.
‘Nobody really talks about this, but you can rent a hotel room, put on a tuxedo and walk around.
‘As far as the world knows, you were at the Golden Globes,’ the associate says.
Hallivis argues the documentary improperly links him to those claims by displaying photographs of him alongside Horwitz, creating the impression that he too was posing as an awards-show insider.
The lawsuit contends Hallivis was legitimately attending an HBO event connected to the Golden Globes.
The producer also takes issue with comments made in the documentary by attorney Alex Loftus, who represented investors allegedly defrauded by Horwitz.
While a photograph of Hallivis and Horwitz appears on screen, Loftus is heard saying: ‘If Julio was spending all day and all night with Zach Horwitz for months at a time, I don’t see how he would possibly not know that this was a fantasy.’
Hallivis claims the statement falsely implies he knowingly participated in the fraud and is therefore defamatory.
He is seeking compensatory, presumed and punitive damages, along with the removal of the allegedly defamatory content.
Representatives for Chaiklin, Amazon and Vice did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
“Hollywood Hustler: Glitz, Glam, Scam” remains available to stream on Amazon.
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