A former Santa Monica tech executive convicted of defrauding investors out of millions of dollars has been added to the FBI's Most Wanted Fraudsters list after fleeing the country ahead of his sentencing, federal officials announced.
Bernhard Eugen Fritsch, 65, founder and CEO of Santa Monica-based StarClub Inc., is one of three fugitives added to the newly formed list, according to Patrick Grandy, assistant director in charge of the FBI's Los Angeles Field Office. The other two fugitives are wanted by FBI field offices in Seattle and Tampa.
The FBI is offering a reward of up to $150,000 for information leading to Fritsch's arrest and conviction.
"Southern California is a target-rich environment for fraudsters — among them Bernhard Fritsch — who was convicted of ripping off investors of millions and fleeing the United States prior to his sentencing," Grandy said in a statement. "Regardless of how long it takes for Mr. Fritsch to serve his sentence, the FBI will unrelentingly seek his whereabouts and is offering a significant reward of up to $150,000 in exchange for information leading to his apprehension and conviction."
Fritsch was charged federally in Los Angeles in August 2017, accused of defrauding investors out of more than $20 million between 2014 and 2017 by lying about his company's financial performance. He pitched StarClub's app, StarSite, as technology that could help celebrities and social media influencers monetize their brand endorsements by delivering advertising content and sharing ad revenue with the celebrity who posted it.
Prosecutors said Fritsch made a series of false claims to investors, including that StarClub was close to striking commercial deals with, or landing investments and buyout offers from, major media companies such as Disney. He also falsely claimed the company earned $15 million in revenue in 2015 and that its investors included major media companies and a global investment banking firm.
Rather than developing StarClub's technology, Fritsch used much of the investment money to fund a lavish lifestyle, prosecutors said, including the purchase of a McLaren and a Rolls-Royce, upgrades to his yacht, and renovations to his Malibu mansion near Carbon Beach. The FBI has since seized the yacht and both vehicles.
One victim invested more than $20 million in StarClub over two years based on Fritsch's false statements and introduced him to other victims who invested millions more, according to the FBI. Prosecutors estimate Fritsch caused approximately $26.8 million in victim losses.
A federal jury in Los Angeles found Fritsch guilty in April 2025. While awaiting sentencing, he fled to Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico, in June 2025, ahead of a bond revocation hearing, prompting a federal arrest warrant after he failed to appear in court.
In September 2025, Mexican law enforcement detained Fritsch after he was found with false identification, in violation of the country's immigration laws. He was released from immigration custody and ordered to check in with Mexican immigration court every two weeks but instead fled to Munich, Germany, on Oct. 6, 2025.
On Oct. 20, 2025, Fritsch was sentenced in absentia to 15 years in federal prison, fined $35,000 and later ordered to pay $26,806,901 in restitution.
"Placing Fritsch on the Most Wanted Fraudsters list reflects our commitment to pursue those who attempt to outrun the law. Fleeing the United States will not shield him from justice," said Bill Essayli, first assistant U.S. attorney for the Central District of California. "We will find him and he will answer for his conduct in a court of law."
The Most Wanted Fraudsters list was created in June 2026 to draw public attention to fraud fugitives. Fifteen fugitives have been added to the list since its creation, four of whom have since been captured, leaving 12 currently on the list. It is separate from the FBI's traditional Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list and focuses exclusively on major fraud cases.
Anyone with information is urged to contact the FBI's toll-free tipline at 1-800-CALL-FBI or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov. The case was investigated by the FBI and is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California.
Fritsch's girlfriend, Lucinda Jane Weist Manera, 63, of Malibu, pleaded guilty in June 2026 to a felony count of being an accessory after the fact for helping Fritsch evade authorities.
According to her plea agreement, Manera was in the courtroom when the guilty verdict against Fritsch was read in April 2025. Fritsch was free on bond at the time, with a hearing on his potential remand into federal custody scheduled for June 2, 2025, ahead of a later sentencing date.
On June 2, 2025, Fritsch fled the United States by car, crossing into Mexico to avoid being taken into custody at that hearing and to avoid serving a prison sentence.
From June to September 2025, prosecutors said Manera assisted Fritsch with the purpose of hindering his apprehension and punishment, including lying to FBI agents about having spoken to him within a day of his scheduled June 2 hearing. She also made at least 10 payments totaling roughly $7,475 to a third party while knowing Fritsch was hiding at that person's home, and she authorized a $534 charge to her bank account to cover a hotel stay for Fritsch in Mexico.
In September 2025, Manera searched the internet on Fritsch's behalf for information on how he could leave Mexico and travel to Germany, his native country, which generally does not extradite its citizens.
In April 2026, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed Fritsch's appeal of his conviction because of his fugitive status; a fugitive defendant is generally not entitled to a ruling on the merits of his claims. If Fritsch surrenders to authorities by Aug. 21, 2026, he may seek to reinstate the appeal.
U.S. District Judge Dale S. Fischer has scheduled an Oct. 5 sentencing hearing for Manera, who faces a statutory maximum of five years in federal prison.
The case against Manera is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Monica E. Tait of the Major Frauds Section.