Former Owner Of /Drive And Fast Lane Daily Arrested By FBI

Emil Rensing, who created the automotive newscast Youtube channel, The Fast Lane Daily, and former partner of the automotive Youtube channel /Drive, has been charged with wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. He was arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation on charges that he defrauded the Epix cable television network on more than $8 million when he served as Chief Digital Officer. Reuters first broke the news:

The complaint alleged that while working at Epix, described in court papers as a premium movie network, from April 2010 to August 2015, Rensing caused it to contract with vendor companies he owned to perform digital media services.

Those services were largely never performed and while the contracts listed several of Rensing’s former professional associates and business partners as vendor personnel, they had never heard of the vendors, the complaint said.

Rensing hid the scheme by using false and stolen identities to conceal his involvement, the complaint said.

He was released on a $500,000 bond following a court hearing later in the day. His lawyer, Henry Mazurek, in a statement said Rensing disputed the allegations and “did not steal any money or identities from anyone.”

“He has provided valuable products and services to Epix, all of which the company enjoys and profits from today,” Mazurek said.

[ads1]Rensing, 42, was arrested at his home in Manhattan and is expected to appear in federal court. We’re not sure if this arrest will implicate /Drive, which has been absorbed by The Drive earlier this year, and The Fast Lane Daily in any way. Stay tuned as this unfolds.

(Source: Reuters)