Bernhard Eugen Fritsch, 65, the founder and CEO of a Santa Monica-based tech company called StarClub Inc., was charged federally in Los Angeles in August 2017 for defrauding investors out of more than $20 million between 2014 and 2017 by lying to them about his company’s financial performance. Fritsch convinced victims to invest in his company’s application, known as StarSite, technology he claimed could help celebrities and social media influencers monetize their brand endorsements. He also claimed the app would deliver advertising content and share ad revenue with the celebrity poster.
While pitching to investors, Fritsch made several false and fraudulent claims, including that StarClub was on the verge of entering into commercial deals with or obtaining investments and buyout offers from major media companies, such as Disney; or that StarClub had earned $15 million in revenue in 2015; and that StarClub’s current investors included major media companies and a global investment banking firm.
Rather than using investor money to build out StarClub’s technology, Fritsch used much of investors’ money to enrich himself and support his luxurious lifestyle, including by purchasing luxury cars such as a McLaren and a Rolls-Royce, by upgrading his yacht, and by renovating his Malibu mansion, located near Carbon Beach. The FBI seized the yacht, McLaren, and the Rolls-Royce.
One victim invested more than $20 million in StarClub over the course of two years, based on Fritsch’s false statements. This victim also introduced Fritsch to other victims who invested millions of additional funds in the company. Prosecutors estimate that Fritsch caused at least approximately $26.8 million in victim losses due to his scheme.
"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," said Patrick Grandy, the assistant director in charge of the FBI's Los Angeles Field Office. "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 found guilty by a jury in Los Angeles in April 2025. While awaiting sentencing, he fled to Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico in June 2025, prior to a bond revocation hearing. A federal arrest warrant was issued for Fritsch in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles after he failed to appear for a post-conviction bond revocation hearing.
“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 First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli for the Central District of California. “We will find him and he will answer for his conduct in a court of law.”
In September of 2025, Mexican law enforcement detained Fritsch, who was found with false identification, in violation of Mexico’s immigration laws. He was released from immigration custody and ordered to check in with the immigration court in Mexico every two weeks; instead, however, Fritsch fled to Munich, Germany, on October 6, 2025.
On October 20, 2025, Fritsch was sentenced in absentia to 15 years in federal prison, fined $35,000, and was later ordered to pay $26,806,901 in restitution.
In June 2026, Fritsch’s girlfriend, Lucinda Jane Weist Manera, 63, of Malibu, pleaded guilty to being an accessory after the fact for helping Fritsch hide from the FBI, hide in Mexico, and then flee to his native Germany to avoid incarceration.
The Most Wanted Fraudsters list was created and launched in June 2026 to generate public interest and assistance with information leading to the location and apprehension of fraud fugitives. A large reward of up to $150,000 is being offered in exchange for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of a member on the FBI’s Most Wanted Fraudsters list.
Since the inception of the list of the Most Wanted Fraudsters list, 15 fugitives have been added, to include the ones being announced today. Four fugitives have since been captured and, currently, there are 12 fugitives on the list.
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