David Raymond Brown, a movie producer who also worked as an accountant within the industry, was recently apprehended on a 21-count indictment by a federal grand jury. These charges include wire fraud, money laundering, and aggravated identity theft, as he is accused of orchestrating a fraudulent scheme that siphoned more than $12 million from victims, including independent film projects. The indictment follows Brown's arrest in West Columbia, South Carolina, where he made his first court appearance and awaits arraignment in Los Angeles, reported by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California.
Brown, alternating between names such as "David Brown Levy" and "David Addison Brown," has been implicated in a sophisticated fraud that spanned from December 2021 to August 2025. In a complex con, he directed funds from film production companies into his controlled accounts, creating an illusion of legitimacy by paying his Studio City-based company, Hollywood Covid Testing LLC, for non-existent services. The indictment details several instances where Brown provided false invoices to justify these transactions.
Apart from his Hollywood charades, Brown also misled individuals by promising joint ventures in real estate and film financing. According to the Department of Justice announcement, he contributed barely any of his own funds to these endeavors, instead using the money from "Victim 1" and "Victim 2" to support his own extravagant lifestyle. This included purchasing luxury vehicles and real estate, along with financing personal projects.
In efforts to lend credibility to his faltering ventures, Brown presented Victim 2 with a falsified IMDb profile, claiming it as his own to induce further investment. Moreover, he concealed his murky background, which included prior fraud accusations and numerous lawsuits, per the Department of Justice's findings. These concealed truths might have deterred his victims, but the artifice of respectability he crafted ensured their continued trust and financial support.
If found guilty of the charges, Brown is facing a combined maximum sentence of potentially hundreds of years in prison. Each wire fraud count carries up to 20 years, while each money laundering count is punishable by up to 10 years, and each identity theft count mandates a two-year consecutive sentence. The FBI and IRS Criminal Investigation are leading the investigation, with Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alexander B. Schwab, Joshua O. Mausner, and Sarah E. Spielberger on the prosecution team. The indictment, however, is merely an accusation, and Brown is presumed innocent until proven otherwise in court.
