FBI Hunts L.A. Tech CEO Who Stole over $26 Million From Investors, Fled U.S.
The FBI says Fritsch fled before sentencing after a jury found him guilty of wire fraud in a scheme that cost investors more than $20 million.
- On Thursday, the FBI added Bernhard Eugen Fritsch to its Most Wanted Fraudsters list, offering up to $150,000 for information leading to his arrest and conviction.
- A jury convicted the Malibu resident of wire fraud in April 2025 after he defrauded investors of $20 million through Santa Monica-based StarClub Inc. to fund a lavish lifestyle.
- Fritsch fled to Mexico in June 2025 before his sentencing hearing, later relocating to Munich; a Los Angeles judge subsequently sentenced him in absentia to 15 years in prison, fining him $35,000 and ordering $26.8 million in restitution.
- Lucinda Jane Weist Manera, Fritsch's girlfriend, pleaded guilty in June 2026 to being an accessory after the fact for helping him evade authorities.
- The FBI will "unrelentingly seek his whereabouts," according to officials, urging anyone with information to contact a local FBI office, U.S. Embassy, or Consulate.
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Bernhard Eugen Fritsch is said to have plowed investors for $35 million, and the FBI is now looking for the 65-year-old fugitive in Germany.
The convicted fraudster Bernhard Fritsch is said to have fled to Munich. The FBI spends up to $150,000 reward for references to the German, who is said to have cheated celebrities by millions.
Malibu tech exec who skipped out before sentencing is on FBI’s Most Wanted Fraudsters list
The FBI is offering up to $150,000 for crucial information on the whereabouts of Bernhard Eugen Fritsch, 65, who defrauded investors out of more than $20 million by lying to them about his company's financial performance
Convicted Malibu scammer added to FBI's 'Most Wanted Fraudsters' list after fleeing U.S.
Bernhard Eugen Fritsch, a Malibu man who fled the U.S. to avoid an expected 15-year prison sentence after a fraud conviction last year, has been added to the FBI's Most Wanted Fraudsters list.
The FBI's looking for a German citizen who's on the run, and he's been convicted of fraud.
Former Malibu Resident Added to FBI's Most Wanted Fraudsters List
A Malibu man who defrauded investors out of more than $20 million by lying to them about his technology company’s financial performance has been added to the FBI’s new Most Wanted Fraudsters list and the agency is offering up to $150,000 for crucial information on his whereabouts, officials announced Thursday. Bernhard Eugen Fritsch, 65, founder and chief executive of a Santa Monica-based tech company called StarClub Inc., was found guilty of on…
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