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 today.
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founder and chief executive of a Santa Monica-based tech company called StarClub Inc., was found guilty of one count of wire fraud by a jury in Los Angeles federal court in April 2025. He fled months later while awaiting sentencing.
Fritsch convinced victims to invest in an app he claimed could help celebrities and social media influencers monetize their brand endorsements. He also claimed his app would deliver advertising content and share ad revenue with the celebrity poster.
Fritsch used much of the investor money to support a luxurious lifestyle that included buying luxury cars such as a McLaren and a Rolls-Royce, upgrading his yacht and renovating his Malibu mansion near Carbon Beach, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The FBI seized the yacht and the cars.
“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,” Patrick Grandy, assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles bureau, 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.”
Before he could be sentenced, Fritsch fled to Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico in June 2025, prior to a bond-revocation hearing. A federal arrest warrant was issued after he failed to appear for the hearing.
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In September, Mexican law enforcement detained Fritsch, who was found with false identification, in violation of Mexico’s immigration laws. He was released from custody and ordered to check in with the immigration court in Mexico every two weeks. Instead, Fritsch fled to Munich on Oct. 6.
Several weeks later, a Los Angeles federal judge sentenced Fritsch in absentia to 15 years in prison, fined him $35,000 and later ordered him to pay $26.8 million in restitution.
Fritsch’s girlfriend, Lucinda Jane Weist Manera, 63, of Malibu, pleaded guilty in June to being an accessory after the fact for helping Fritsch hide from the FBI and then flee to his native Germany to avoid incarceration.
The Most Wanted Fraudsters list was created and launched in June by the FBI to generate public interest and assistance with information leading to the location and apprehension of fraud fugitives. A reward of up to $150,000 is being offered in exchange for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of a fugitive on the list, authorities said.
The Most Wanted Fraudsters list is separate from the FBI’s traditional Ten Most Wanted Fugitives and was created to focus exclusively on fugitives wanted for major fraud.
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