Tech CEO added to FBI’s Most Wanted Fraudsters list after fleeing: The wider industry impact

Bernhard Eugen Fritsch (Image credit: FBI)

Fritsch, the founder and CEO of Santa Monica-based StarClub Inc. , was found guilty by a Los Angeles jury in April 2025 of defrauding investors. The FBI said he fled to Mexico in June 2025 before a bond revocation hearing and later travelled to Germany. He was sentenced in absentia to 15 years in federal prison and ordered to pay more than $26.8 million in restitution. The FBI is offering a reward of up to $150,000 for information leading to his arrest and conviction. The FBI said Fritsch, 65, was charged in Los Angeles in August 2017 over an investment scheme that prosecutors said caused at least $26.8 million in losses. He also claimed the company had generated $15 million in revenue in 2015 and that major media companies and a global investment bank were among its investors. One investor put more than $20 million into StarClub over two years after relying on Fritsch’s statements. A jury in Los Angeles found Fritsch guilty in April 2025. The FBI said he fled to Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico, in June 2025 while waiting for sentencing and before a bond revocation hearing. Mexican authorities detained Fritsch in September 2025 and found him with false identification, according to the FBI. Instead, the FBI said, Fritsch fled Mexico for Munich, Germany, on October 6, 2025. Fritsch was sentenced in absentia on October 20, 2025, to 15 years in federal prison. He was also fined $35,000 and later ordered to pay $26,806,901 in restitution. In June 2026, Fritsch’s girlfriend, Lucinda Jane Weist Manera, 63, pleaded guilty to being an accessory after the fact. The FBI’s Most Wanted Fraudsters list was launched in June 2026 to seek public help in locating fraud fugitives. The agency is offering rewards of up to $150,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of people on the list. The FBI said 15 fugitives have been added to the list since its launch. Four have been captured, while 12 fugitives are currently listed.

That investor also introduced Fritsch to other people who invested millions of dollars, the FBI said. He was later released and ordered to report to a Mexican immigration court every two weeks.

Fritsch used StarClub’s StarSite application to attract investors, according to the FBI. The FBI said he told investors that StarClub was close to deals with or investments from major media companies, including Disney. The FBI said Fritsch used a large portion of the money raised from investors for personal expenses instead of developing StarClub’s technology. He spent investor funds on luxury items and his lifestyle, including a McLaren, a Rolls-Royce, upgrades to his yacht and renovations to his Malibu mansion, according to the agency. The FBI said she helped Fritsch hide from authorities, remain in Mexico and later leave for Germany.

The FBI has added tech CEO Bernhard Eugen Fritsch to its Most Wanted Fraudsters list after he fled the United States while awaiting sentencing for an investment fraud case. He claimed the technology would help celebrities and social media influencers earn money from brand endorsements and advertising. Fritsch allegedly made several false claims about the company’s business prospects and finances While seeking investments. The FBI seized the yacht, McLaren and Rolls-Royce. A federal arrest warrant was later issued after he failed to appear. Get the latest technology news and updates. Download the TOI App.