FBI Offers $150,000 Reward for Fugitive Tech CEO Who Fled After $26.8 Million Fraud Conviction

FBI Offers $150,000 Reward for Fugitive Tech CEO Sentenced to 15 Years in $26.8 Million Investor Fraud

The FBI is offering a reward of up to $150,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of fugitive technology executive Bernhard Eugen Fritsch, the founder and former CEO of Santa Monica based StarClub Inc., who fled the United States after a federal jury convicted him of wire fraud in a sprawling investment scheme that caused approximately $26.8 million in losses. Fritsch, 65, has been added to the FBI’s Most Wanted Fraudsters list as federal authorities intensify an international search for him. Investigators believe the German national is currently living in or near Munich after first fleeing the United States for Mexico, where he was later detained, and then escaping again before traveling to Germany. The case has continued moving through federal court despite Fritsch’s disappearance. After fleeing while awaiting sentencing, Fritsch was sentenced in absentia in October 2025 to 15 years in federal prison, fined $35,000 and later ordered to pay $26,806,901 in restitution. His federal prison sentence remains waiting for him if authorities can bring him into custody.

StarClub Raised Millions for Celebrity and Influencer Technology

Fritsch founded and served as CEO of StarClub Inc., a Santa Monica technology company that promoted an application known as StarSite. The company claimed its technology would allow celebrities and social media influencers to monetize brand endorsements while delivering advertising content and sharing advertising revenue with the people posting the material. According to federal authorities, Fritsch raised approximately $35 million for StarClub between January 2014 and August 2017. Prosecutors said investors were persuaded to provide money based on representations about the company’s financial performance, technology and supposed relationships with major corporations. One victim invested more than $20 million in StarClub over approximately two years and subsequently introduced Fritsch to other investors who contributed millions more. Although different government releases have used varying figures to describe the amount raised and the losses attributable to the fraud, the FBI’s current wanted notice says prosecutors estimate the scheme caused approximately $26.8 million in victim losses.

Prosecutors Say Fritsch Invented Major Corporate Deals

Federal prosecutors said Fritsch’s pitch to investors relied on a series of false representations that made StarClub appear significantly more successful and commercially connected than it actually was. Among the claims presented at trial, prosecutors said Fritsch represented that StarClub was close to entering commercial agreements with major media companies, receiving investments or potentially being acquired. Disney was among the major corporations specifically referenced in the government’s case. Fritsch also falsely claimed StarClub had generated $15 million in revenue during 2015 and represented that major media companies and a global investment banking firm were already investors in the business. Prosecutors argued that these representations helped create the appearance of an established technology company with substantial institutional backing and encouraged investors to continue supplying capital.

After a nine day trial in federal court in Los Angeles, a jury convicted Fritsch in April 2025 of one count of wire fraud. Jurors acquitted him on a second wire fraud count, an important distinction in the final outcome of the trial.

Millions Went to Luxury Cars, Yacht and Malibu Mansion

Federal authorities said a substantial portion of the investment money never went toward developing StarClub in the manner investors had been promised. Instead, prosecutors said Fritsch diverted millions of dollars to finance an expensive personal lifestyle. According to the FBI, at least $7.3 million in investor money was used for Fritsch’s personal expenses, including mortgage and residential costs and luxury automobiles. Prosecutors presented evidence that the money helped finance vehicles including a McLaren and Rolls Royce, improvements to a yacht and renovations to Fritsch’s Malibu mansion near Carbon Beach.

Federal law enforcement eventually seized the yacht, McLaren and Rolls Royce, placing the assets into forfeiture proceedings. The spending became significant evidence in the fraud case because investors had been told their money would be used to develop StarClub’s technology and expand its business operations.

Fritsch Fled to Mexico Before Bond Hearing

Fritsch remained free on bond following his April 2025 conviction, but the case took a dramatic turn two months later as a federal court prepared to consider whether he should be taken into custody. A hearing related to Fritsch’s potential remand into federal custody was scheduled for June 2, 2025. Rather than appear, authorities say Fritsch left the United States by car, crossed the border into Mexico and eventually traveled to Los Mochis in the state of Sinaloa.

A federal arrest warrant was issued on June 3 after Fritsch failed to appear for his post conviction bond revocation hearing. His departure transformed the case from a completed fraud prosecution awaiting sentencing into an international fugitive investigation.

Mexican Authorities Detained Him Before He Fled Again

The international search appeared to make a major breakthrough in September 2025 when Mexican law enforcement detained Fritsch. According to the FBI, authorities discovered that he possessed false identification in violation of Mexican immigration laws. Fritsch was subsequently released from Mexican immigration custody and ordered to report to immigration court every two weeks. He did not remain in Mexico, however, and federal authorities say he fled to Munich on October 6, 2025.

Germany is Fritsch’s native country, creating an additional complication for American authorities attempting to return him to the United States. The Justice Department has noted that Germany generally prohibits the extradition of its own citizens, although the FBI continues seeking information that could lead to Fritsch’s apprehension.

Judge Sentenced Fritsch to 15 Years While He Remained a Fugitive

Fritsch’s flight did not prevent the federal criminal case from continuing. On October 20, 2025, U.S. District Judge Dale S. Fischer sentenced him in absentia to 15 years in federal prison and imposed a $35,000 fine. He was later ordered to pay $26,806,901 in restitution. The sentencing is an important distinction from early descriptions of Fritsch simply as a convicted defendant who fled before sentencing. While he did escape before his original sentencing proceedings, the federal court subsequently imposed his punishment without him being present. Fritsch therefore remains not merely a defendant awaiting punishment, but a convicted and sentenced federal fugitive facing a 15 year prison term if authorities succeed in bringing him into custody.

Federal Appeals Court Dismissed Fritsch’s Appeal

Fritsch attempted to challenge his conviction through the federal appeals process while remaining outside the reach of U.S. authorities. In April 2026, however, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit dismissed his appeal because of his fugitive status. The Justice Department said a fugitive criminal defendant is generally not entitled to a ruling on the merits of an appeal while deliberately remaining outside the jurisdiction of the court. Fritsch had been given an opportunity to seek reinstatement of the appeal if he surrendered by August 21, 2026, but the FBI’s latest announcement indicates he remains at large. The development leaves the 15 year federal sentence intact while investigators continue attempting to locate and apprehend him.

Girlfriend Pleaded Guilty to Helping Fritsch Escape

The investigation eventually expanded to Fritsch’s longtime girlfriend, Lucinda Jane Weist Manera of Malibu. In June 2026, Manera pleaded guilty to one felony count of being an accessory after the fact after admitting that she helped Fritsch evade federal authorities while he was hiding in Mexico and preparing to travel to Germany. According to her plea agreement, Manera lied to FBI agents about her communications with Fritsch and made at least 10 payments totaling approximately $7,475 to a third party while knowing Fritsch was hiding at that person’s residence. She also authorized a $534 hotel charge for Fritsch in Mexico and later searched online for information about how he could leave Mexico and travel to Germany. Her guilty plea added another significant element to the government’s reconstruction of Fritsch’s escape by establishing through a federal court proceeding that he received assistance while attempting to avoid apprehension and punishment.

FBI Adds Fritsch to Most Wanted Fraudsters List

On September 3, 2026, the FBI announced that Fritsch was among three fugitives newly added to its Most Wanted Fraudsters list, a national initiative launched in June specifically to draw public attention to fugitives wanted in major fraud cases. The program is separate from the FBI’s better-known Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list. According to the bureau, 15 fugitives had been added to the fraud-focused program since its creation, with four captured and 12 people appearing on the active list at the time of the September announcement.

The FBI is offering up to $150,000 for information leading to Fritsch’s arrest and conviction on the outstanding fugitive matter. Authorities hope the substantial reward and increased international attention will generate information about his current whereabouts.

FBI Believes Fritsch Is Living Near Munich

The FBI identifies Fritsch as a German national born July 27, 1961, in Landshut, Germany. He is described as approximately 6 feet 2 inches tall and 220 pounds, with gray or brown hair and brown eyes, and authorities say he speaks English and German. The bureau also lists several aliases associated with Fritsch, including Bernhard Fritsch, Bernhard E. Fritsch, Barnhard Eugen Fritsch and Charles Wiest. Investigators currently believe he is residing in or near Munich.

Anyone with information concerning Fritsch’s location is being asked to contact the FBI’s toll free tip line at 1-800-CALL-FBI, a local FBI office or the nearest American embassy or consulate. Information can also be submitted through the bureau’s official online tip system. The manhunt now centers on locating a convicted fraudster who escaped the United States, was detained in Mexico, fled again and ultimately received a 15 year federal prison sentence while remaining outside American custody. For investors who lost approximately $26.8 million, the criminal trial has already produced a conviction, restitution order and substantial prison sentence. The unresolved question is whether federal authorities will ultimately succeed in bringing Fritsch back into custody to serve it.

Sources & Further Reading

Federal Bureau of Investigation

FBI — Bernhard Eugen Fritsch Most Wanted Profile

FBI Los Angeles — Fritsch Added to Most Wanted Fraudsters List

FBI — Most Wanted Fraudsters List

U.S. Department of Justice

Justice Department — Fritsch Convicted of Defrauding StarClub Investors

Justice Department — Lucinda Manera Pleads Guilty to Helping Fritsch Escape