A fugitive Malibu tech CEO has been overtly flaunting his luxurious life in Bavaria on Instagram whereas dodging a 15-year federal jail sentence — as his Hollywood actress girlfriend admitted serving to him evade authorities and now faces years behind bars herself.
Bernhard Eugen Fritsch, 64, has continued posting images and movies from Bavaria, Germany, displaying himself having fun with the Alpine area, months after disappearing and failing to point out up for a court docket listening to in his multimillion-dollar fraud case.
His public posts embody Easter greetings from the Bavarian Alps and different updates from Germany, the place he stays past the attain of U.S. authorities. In a single submit, he exhibits off a bottle of Don Papa Port Casks—a limited-edition rum—value $10,000.
However whereas Fritsch seems to be having fun with life overseas, it’s his girlfriend, actress Lucinda Manera, who has now pleaded responsible to serving to him keep on the run.
Federal prosecutors mentioned Manera, 63, admitted to at least one felony depend of being an adjunct after the actual fact after serving to Fritsch keep away from arrest following his conviction in a scheme that defrauded traders out of greater than $20 million. She is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 5 and faces as much as 5 years in federal jail.
In accordance with her plea settlement, Manera lied to FBI brokers about when she final communicated with Fritsch and helped bankroll his escape after he fled the US by automobile into Mexico on June 2, 2025, relatively than showing in court docket, prosecutors mentioned.
She additionally approved at the least 10 funds totaling roughly $7,475 to an individual who was housing Fritsch in Mexico, together with one other cost for his resort, in response to prosecutors.
Authorities additional alleged she researched how Fritsch may journey from Mexico to his native Germany, a rustic that typically doesn’t extradite its personal residents.
A federal jury discovered Fritsch responsible in April 2025 of wire fraud tied to his Santa Monica-based firm, StarClub Inc., which promised traders its StarSite app would revolutionize celeb endorsements on social media.
The flashy entrepreneur additionally cultivated a celeb picture round StarClub, internet hosting glitzy Hollywood occasions attended by stars like Tyrese Gibson.
Prosecutors mentioned he falsely claimed the corporate had main media offers, profitable buyout affords and tens of millions in income to influence traders at hand over greater than $20 million.
As a substitute of utilizing the cash to construct the enterprise, prosecutors mentioned Fritsch spent a lot of it enriching himself, buying luxurious autos together with a McLaren and a Rolls-Royce, renovating his Malibu mansion close to Carbon Seashore and upgrading his yacht.
Federal authorities later seized the posh automobiles and yacht.
After fleeing, Fritsch was sentenced in absentia to fifteen years in federal jail. He was additionally ordered to pay greater than $26.8 million in restitution and fined $35,000.
His enchantment was later dismissed as a result of he stays a fugitive, though court docket information state he may search to revive it if he surrenders by the court docket’s deadline.
