SANTA MONICA, CA — A former executive of a Santa Monica tech company who fled the country after being convicted of defrauding investors has been added to the FBI's new Most Wanted Fraudsters list, with authorities offering a reward of up to $150,000 for information leading to his arrest and conviction.
Bernhard Eugen Fritsch is believed to be living in or near Munich, Germany, according to the FBI.
Fritsch was sentenced in absentia in October 2025 to 15 years in federal prison, fined $35,000 and later ordered to pay $26.8 million in restitution after he fled the U.S. while awaiting sentencing.
The founder and CEO of Santa Monica-based StarClub Inc. raised approximately $35 million from investors between January 2014 and August 2017, according to the FBI.
StarClub purported to develop software that would help celebrities and social media influencers make money from brand endorsements. Fritsch told potential investors the company had deals with major global media and entertainment companies and misrepresented its financial performance to entice investments, authorities said.
At least $7.3 million in investor money went toward Fritsch's personal expenses, including mortgage and residential expenses and luxury vehicles, according to the FBI.
Fritsch was convicted of one count of wire fraud following a nine-day trial in April 2025. A jury acquitted him of a second wire fraud count.
At trial, prosecutors detailed how Fritsch used investor money to support a lavish lifestyle that included a McLaren and Rolls-Royce, repairs to his yacht and renovations to his Carbon Beach mansion. Prosecutors previously estimated that Fritsch caused nearly $25 million in investor losses.
Fritsch, a German national and green-card holder, was allowed to remain free on bond following the trial but disappeared before a bond revocation hearing in June 2025.
The FBI said Fritsch fled to Los Mochis in Sinaloa, Mexico. A federal arrest warrant was issued June 3, 2025, after he failed to appear for his post-conviction bond revocation hearing.
Mexican authorities detained Fritsch in September 2025 and found him carrying false identification, according to the FBI. He was released from immigration custody and ordered to check in with Mexican immigration authorities every two weeks.
Instead, Fritsch fled again, according to the FBI.
On Oct. 6, 2025, he traveled to Munich, according to the FBI. Two weeks later, a federal judge in Los Angeles sentenced him in absentia.
Anyone with information about Fritsch's whereabouts can contact the FBI at 800-225-5324, contact a local FBI office or the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate, or submit a tip online.
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