Former film producer Remington Chase, who was accused of fraud in cases where investors were swindled out of $234 million, has died. He was 65.
Chase died of liver failure on July 31 in Blackpool, England, according to a death certificate obtained by Variety through the Blackpool Registration Service.
His death was also confirmed by his wife, Linda Biron of Marina del Ray, California, the entertainment news website reported.
“He got mixed up with some wrong people,” Biron said, according to Variety. “He was not out to hurt anybody. He was out to make good movies.”
China-based Base Media sued Chase and associate Kevin Robl in 2022, accusing the pair of fraud against the company’s investors, the website reported.
Base Media won a $10 million default judgment against the pair, and Remington was stripped of a 5% stake in the company and a 15% share of the company’s profits from the animated film, “Wish Dragon,” according to Variety.
Chase and Stefan Martirosian produced several films, including “End of Watch,” “Escape Plan” and “Lone Survivor,” the entertainment news website reported.
In 2014, they were convicted of cocaine trafficking and were accused of being involved in a Russian assassination plot, L.A. Weekly reported.
Base Media’s CEO, Chris Bremble, did not respond to a request for comment. His attorney also declined to comment.
In 2020, the Securities and Exchange Commission filed civil charges against Chase for defrauding investors of Knightsbridge Entertainment. The charges alleged that he had diverted $9 million to personal use and $1.5 million in donations to the University of Southern California, Variety reported. He settled the case but did not admit any wrongdoing.
Biron said that Chase had very little money when he died.
“He had nothing,” Biron said, according to Variety. “Everything he had he put into movies. He didn’t even have money to call a lawyer to help him. If he was guilty of all this stuff, he’d be rich.”
