Woodland Hills film accountant pleads guilty to embezzling from indie productions

A film accountant from the San Fernando Valley pleaded guilty Friday to embezzling money from the independent productions that employed him, moving the illicitly obtained funds into an account he labeled “Fun Fun Fun.”

Joshua Mandel, 48, of Woodland Hills, entered a plea in Los Angeles federal court to six counts of wire fraud. He faces up to 20 years behind bars on each count at a sentencing hearing scheduled for May 4.

Mandel owned the Woodland Hills-based company First J Productions Inc., where he served as both its chief executive and chief financial officer, court documents show.

He also worked as a film production accountant for independent films. As a production accountant, Mandel oversaw cash flow, payroll and expenses, and added funds to prepaid debit cards, which are commonly used in the film industry, federal prosecutors said.

Mandel was also trusted as an authorized user for bank accounts belonging to production companies.

Law enforcement officials believe the total amount Mandel embezzled approached $2 million and that he used the embezzled money to maintain his lifestyle, including paying hundreds of thousands of dollars to various young women.

Federal prosecutors say Mandel made payments to pornography actresses, and more than $129,000 to a woman he met through a “sugar daddy” website, and spent more than $24,000 at Las Vegas hotels, clubs and shows, and purchased more than $12,000 in luxury items from Louis Vuitton.

To hide his scheme, Mandel used funds from one production company to pay expenses incurred by another, in the style of a Ponzi scheme, prosecutors said.