The director couldn’t take the risk that his friend might need cash badly enough to rat him out
In the disgraced director’s circle of friends/criminals, there are several other Hollywood players with equally horrible track records. This particular friend of the director is new to the site. They go back over 2 decades together. This friend was a regular wing man at the many parties where underage teens were filled with drugs and booze, before being sexually assaulted or raped. His behavior at those parties has been described to be just as bad as the director, but his lower profile has allowed him to escape scrutiny.