FBI seeks Bavarian fraud fugitive

The FBI is searching for 65-year-old Bernhard Eugen Fritsch, a Bavarian businessman convicted of wire fraud who escaped before U.S. authorities could take him into custody. The bureau has placed him among its most wanted fraud suspects and is offering a reward of up to about 130,000 euros.

Fritsch founded and owned the technology company Starclub, which raised more than 30 million euros from investors over the past decade. U.S. investigators allege that he used more than 6 million euros for personal expenses, including housing costs and luxury vehicles.

According to the FBI, Fritsch misled clients about the company’s condition and its business relationships. A Los Angeles court found him guilty of fraud in October last year and sentenced him in absentia to 15 years in prison. It also ordered him to repay about 23 million euros.

Fritsch had already fled the United States the previous summer, traveling to Mexico. Mexican authorities detained him but later released him. The FBI says he then escaped to Munich in October last year and may now be in the Bavarian capital or its surrounding area, although it has not ruled out his hiding in another nearby country.

The bureau says he may use the names Bernhard Fritsch, Bernhard E. Fritsch, Barnhard Eugen Fritsch and Charles Wiest. Information leading to his arrest can be provided to the FBI, including through the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate.