Tech CEO added to FBI's Most Wanted Fraudsters list after fleeing from United States
The FBI has added tech CEO Bernhard Eugen Fritsch to its Most Wanted Fraudsters list after he fled the country following a conviction for a $26.8 million investment fraud scheme. Fritsch, who operated StarClub Inc., was sentenced in absentia to 15 years in prison.
Why it matters
The case serves as a high-profile example of investment fraud in the tech sector and the challenges of international law enforcement.
The FBI has added tech CEO Bernhard Eugen Fritsch to its Most Wanted Fraudsters list after he fled the United States while awaiting sentencing for an investment fraud case. Fritsch, the founder and CEO of Santa Monica-based StarClub Inc., was found guilty by a Los Angeles jury in April 2025 of defrauding investors. The FBI said he fled to Mexico in June 2025 before a bond revocation hearing and later travelled to Germany. He was sentenced in absentia to 15 years in federal prison and ordered to pay more than $26.8 million in restitution. The FBI is offering a reward of up to $150,000 for information leading to his arrest and conviction.FBI adds tech CEO to Most Wanted Fraudsters listThe FBI said Fritsch, 65, was charged in Los Angeles in August 2017 over an investment scheme that prosecutors said caused at least $26.8 million in losses.
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