FBI adds tech CEO Bernhard Eugen Fritsch to Most Wanted fraud list; reward offered

The FBI has added Santa Monica-based tech CEO Bernhard Eugen Fritsch to its Most Wanted Fraudsters list, issuing a 'Lookout' notice that details his conviction, his flight from the US, and a $150,000 (roughly Rs. 1.32 crore) reward for information leading to his arrest.Fritsch, founder and CEO of StarClub, is accused of defrauding investors after raising roughly $35 million for the company between January 2014 and August 2017, TOI reports. StarClub claimed to have developed software and an app to help celebrities and social media influencers monetise brand endorsements. According to the FBI, Fritsch claimed to have deals with major global media and entertainment companies and misrepresented the company's financial performance to induce investments. At least $7.3 million of investor money was allegedly diverted to Fritsch's personal expenses, including mortgage payments, residential costs and luxury vehicles.Conviction and flightFritsch was found guilty of wire fraud in a California court in April 2025. In June 2025, ahead of a bond revocation hearing, he fled to Los Mochis, Sinaloa, in Mexico. A federal arrest warrant was subsequently issued on June 3, 2025, by the US District Court, Central District of California, after he failed to appear for his Post-Conviction Bond Revocation Hearing.Mexican law enforcement detained Fritsch in September 2025, at which point he was found carrying false identification. He was released from immigration custody and ordered to check in with Mexico's immigration court every two weeks, but on October 6, 2025, he fled again, this time to Munich, Germany.Sentencing and current statusOn October 20, 2025, Fritsch was sentenced in absentia to 15 years in federal prison, fined $35,000, and later ordered to pay $26,806,901 in restitution. The FBI believes he is currently residing in or near Munich.Description and rewardAccording to the FBI notice, Fritsch has used the aliases Bernhard Fritsch, Bernhard E. Fritsch, Barnhard Eugen Fritsch and Charles Wiest. He was born on July 27, 1961, in Landshut, Germany, and is described as a white male, 6'2-inches, roughly 220 pounds, with gray/brown hair and brown eyes. He speaks English and German and holds German nationality.The FBI is offering a reward of up to $150,000 (roughly Rs. 1.32 crore) for information leading to his arrest and conviction, and is urging anyone with information to contact its toll-free tipline at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324), a local FBI office, the nearest US Embassy or Consulate, or to submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov. The case is being handled out of the FBI's Los Angeles Field Office.

The FBI has added Tech CEO Bernhard Eugen Fritsch to its Most Wanted Fraudsters list. He was found guilty of defrauding investors of over twenty-six million dollars. Fritsch fled the United States before his sentencing and is now believed to be in Germany. The FBI is offering a substantial reward for information leading to his arrest. He was sentenced in absentia to fifteen years in federal prison.