Producer David Ozer pleads guilty to defrauding ‘Safehaven’ investor
David Ozer, the president of Strong Studios, has agreed to plead guilty to defrauding an investor in the TV show “Safehaven” of $214,486.
Ozer admitted to defrauding Ravenwood Productions by creating false invoices and a forged letter, purportedly from his accountant, in an effort to make the expenses appear legitimate, according to the plea agreement.
“In reality, Ozer’s accountant did not write the letter, the contents of the letter were false, and Ozer used his accountant’s name without his accountant’s permission,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles said in a news release.
Under the plea agreement, Ozer agreed not to appeal if his prison sentence is less than 27 months.
Ozer previously worked at Sony, Starz and as president of IDW Entertainment. Ravenwood sued him in April for siphoning money from the show to pay for his personal expenses, including his mortgage.
The lawsuit also named several other defendants, including parent company Strong Global Entertainment and several company officials.
Kevin V. Duncan, Ravenwood’s principal, settled the lawsuit against all parties except Ozer on July 22. The settlement allowed Ravenwood to take full control of “Safehaven” so that post-production could be completed and the show sold to a distributor.
“Safehaven” is a ten-episode supernatural TV series based on a 2017 graphic novel by James Seale. The show was filmed in Canada in 2022 but ran into serious financial trouble.
Duncan ultimately agreed to take over a production loan, in the amount of $6.4 million, to prevent the show from being foreclosed on by a lender.
“Every production has its challenges,” Seale said in a July 22 release. “But thanks to the support and commitment of my production partner Kevin V. Duncan, this matter is now behind us and audiences can finally delve into the world. from Safehaven, a compelling story with a cast of fantastic new faces and enormous franchise potential.”
The FBI investigated the criminal case. Ozer, who lives in New York, will make his first appearance in federal court in Los Angeles in the coming weeks.
