A former movie producer and accountant was arrested on federal charges alleging he defrauded victims, including independent film projects, out of more than $12 million. David Raymond Brown, 39, also known as “David Brown Levy” and “David Addison Brown,” was taken into custody in West Columbia, South Carolina. He faces nine counts of wire fraud, ten counts of transactional money laundering, and two counts of aggravated identity theft.
Brown made his first appearance in United States District Court in Columbia, South Carolina. His arraignment is expected to take place in Los Angeles in the coming weeks.
According to a federal grand jury indictment returned on August 20, Brown worked in the movie industry as a producer, unit production manager, and production accountant. The indictment alleges that between December 2021 and August 2025, Brown misappropriated funds from film production companies by transferring money to accounts he controlled.
The charges state that Brown created false invoices through a company he operated called Hollywood Covid Testing LLC. He allegedly caused film production companies to pay for COVID-19 testing services that were either never performed or already paid for.
The indictment further alleges that Brown told an individual identified as “Victim 1” that their pooled funds would be used for real estate investments in a house-flipping business. Prosecutors say Brown contributed little money himself and diverted Victim 1’s funds for personal expenses.
In another alleged scheme involving “Victim 2,” Brown solicited investments into Film Holdings Capital—a company under his control—promising the funds would be used for loans to film projects. Instead, according to prosecutors, Brown spent much of Victim 2’s money on personal items and used some funds to repay previous victims in what is described as a Ponzi-like operation.
To bolster his credibility with Victim 2, the indictment claims Brown gave them another person’s IMDb profile while claiming it as his own work history.
Brown also allegedly hid details about prior fraud accusations and lawsuits against him from both Victims 1 and 2. These included failing to disclose a May 2023 article from the Los Angeles Times reporting numerous fraud allegations related to his activities.
Prosecutors say that instead of funding promised film productions or investments, Brown used victim funds to purchase luxury vehicles—including a Mercedes-Benz G-Wagon and three Teslas—as well as paying mortgages on personal properties and making significant home improvements such as installing a pool worth approximately $99,000. Additional expenditures cited include buying a house for his mother, family payments, over $70,000 on surrogacy services, private school tuition payments, and nearly $1 million related to a film project titled “Untitled SLA,” focused on the kidnapping of Patricia Hearst by the Symbionese Liberation Army.
To maintain appearances with investors and others involved with Film Holdings Capital, prosecutors allege that Brown tricked a third party into signing backdated loan documents and withheld health insurance payments from employees’ payroll without maintaining their coverage.
Authorities estimate total losses exceed $12 million. The FBI and IRS Criminal Investigation are conducting the investigation.
“An indictment contains allegations. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.”
“If convicted of all charges, Brown would face a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for each wire fraud count, up to 10 years in federal prison for each money laundering count, and a mandatory two-year consecutive prison sentence for each aggravated identity theft count.”
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.
