FBI ADDS CONVICTED INVESTMENT FRAUDSTER BERNHARD EUGEN FRITSCH TO MOST WANTED FRAUDSTERS LIST

LOS ANGELES — The FBI has added convicted investment fraudster Bernhard Eugen Fritsch to its Most Wanted Fraudsters list after he fled the United States before sentencing and later left Mexico for Germany while facing an outstanding federal arrest warrant.

Fritsch, 65, founded and served as chief executive officer of StarClub Inc., a Santa Monica-based technology company that prosecutors said was used to defraud investors through false claims about the company’s financial condition, business relationships, and future prospects.

He was federally charged in Los Angeles in August 2017 in connection with a fraud scheme that operated between 2014 and 2017.

According to the FBI, Fritsch promoted StarClub’s application, known as StarSite, as a technology platform that would help celebrities and social media influencers monetize endorsements by delivering advertising content and sharing advertising revenue with participating personalities.

Prosecutors said Fritsch used those claims to attract investor money while misrepresenting the company’s financial performance and the status of purported business opportunities.

Among the false claims attributed to Fritsch were representations that StarClub was close to entering commercial agreements with or receiving investments or acquisition offers from major media companies, including Disney.

He also claimed that StarClub had generated $15 million in revenue in 2015 and that the company’s investors included major media companies and a global investment banking firm.

Federal prosecutors determined those claims were false.

Rather than directing investor money principally toward developing StarClub’s technology, Fritsch used substantial portions of the funds for personal expenses and luxury purchases.

The FBI said investor money was used to acquire a McLaren, a Rolls-Royce, make upgrades to a yacht, and renovate Fritsch’s Malibu residence near Carbon Beach.

Federal authorities seized the yacht, McLaren, and Rolls-Royce during the investigation.

One investor contributed more than $20 million to StarClub over approximately two years based on Fritsch’s representations.

That investor also introduced Fritsch to additional victims who invested millions of dollars more. Federal prosecutors ultimately estimated total victim losses at approximately $26.8 million.

Fritsch was found guilty by a federal jury in Los Angeles in April 2025.

That legal status is important: the investment fraud conduct is no longer merely alleged. A jury returned a guilty verdict before Fritsch fled the United States.

While awaiting sentencing, Fritsch fled to Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico, in June 2025, before a scheduled bond revocation hearing.

After he failed to appear, a federal arrest warrant was issued in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.

In September 2025, Mexican authorities detained Fritsch after he was found with false identification in violation of Mexican immigration law. He was later released from immigration custody and ordered to report to Mexican immigration court every two weeks.

According to the FBI, Fritsch did not comply with that process and instead left Mexico for Munich, Germany, on October 6, 2025. On October 20, 2025, Fritsch was sentenced in absentia to 15 years in federal prison. He was also fined $35,000 and later ordered to pay $26,806,901 in restitution.

The FBI believes Fritsch is currently residing in or near Munich, Germany.

In June 2026, Lucinda Jane Weist Manera, 63, of Malibu, identified by federal authorities as Fritsch’s girlfriend, pleaded guilty to being an accessory after the fact.

According to the FBI, Manera pleaded guilty to helping Fritsch hide from the FBI, hide in Mexico, and later flee to Germany to avoid incarceration.

Fritsch’s placement on the FBI’s Most Wanted Fraudsters list expands the public effort to locate him and return him to federal custody to serve the sentence already imposed.

Patrick Grandy, assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office, said the bureau intends to continue pursuing Fritsch regardless of how long the search takes.

Grandy said Fritsch was convicted of stealing millions from investors and then fled the country before sentencing.

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli for the Central District of California said Fritsch’s flight from the United States would not prevent federal authorities from continuing efforts to bring him back into custody.

The FBI’s Most Wanted Fraudsters list was created in June 2026 to focus specifically on fugitives wanted in major fraud cases.

The list is separate from the FBI’s traditional Ten Most Wanted Fugitives program.

According to the FBI, 15 fugitives have been added to the fraudsters list since its launch, and four have been captured.

Two other fugitives were added in the same round as Fritsch: Manjit Singh Bedi, wanted by FBI Seattle, and Onur Simsek, wanted by FBI Tampa.

The FBI wanted poster identifies Fritsch under several aliases, including Bernhard Fritsch, Bernhard E. Fritsch, Barnhard Eugen Fritsch, and Charles Wiest.

He was born July 27, 1961, in Landshut, Germany.

The FBI describes him as approximately 6 feet 2 inches tall and 220 pounds, with gray or brown hair and brown eyes.

He is a German national and speaks English and German.

The FBI is offering up to $150,000 for information leading to his arrest and conviction.

Anyone with information concerning Fritsch is urged to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or submit a tip at tips.fbi.gov.

Individuals outside the United States may also contact the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate.

The case was investigated by the FBI and prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California.

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