LOS ANGELES — A Malibu woman has pleaded guilty to helping her convicted fraudster boyfriend evade federal authorities by fleeing to Mexico and later Germany to avoid incarceration and sentencing in a multimillion-dollar fraud case.
Lucinda Jane Weist Manera, 63, also known as Lucy Weist, pleaded guilty Tuesday to one felony count of being an accessory after the fact.
According to her plea agreement, Bernhard Eugen Fritsch, 64, was convicted by a federal jury in April 2025 of wire fraud after prosecutors proved he defrauded investors of more than $20 million.
Federal prosecutors said Fritsch misled investors between 2014 and 2017 about the financial performance of his technology company, which developed software intended to help celebrities and social media influencers monetize brand endorsements.
Manera was in the courtroom when the jury returned its guilty verdict. Fritsch remained free on bond while awaiting a June 2, 2025, hearing on whether he would be taken into custody before sentencing.
Instead of appearing in court, prosecutors said Fritsch fled the United States by car, crossed into Mexico and avoided federal custody.
Authorities said Manera helped Fritsch evade capture from June through September 2025.
According to court documents, she falsely told FBI agents she had not spoken with Fritsch within a day of his scheduled court hearing. Prosecutors also said she made at least 10 payments totaling about $7,475 to a third party who was housing Fritsch while he was hiding. She also approved a $534 payment from her bank account to cover a hotel stay for Fritsch in Mexico.
Investigators further alleged that in September 2025, Manera searched online for information that would help Fritsch leave Mexico and travel to his native Germany, which generally does not extradite its own citizens.
Fritsch was sentenced in absentia in October 2025 to 15 years in federal prison. He also was fined $35,000 and ordered to pay nearly $26.8 million in restitution.
In April 2026, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed Fritsch’s appeal because he remains a fugitive. Court records state he may seek reinstatement of the appeal if he surrenders to authorities by Aug. 21, 2026.
U.S. District Judge Dale S. Fischer scheduled Manera’s sentencing for Oct. 5. She faces a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison.
The FBI investigated the case.
Fact Check
✅ Lucinda Jane Weist Manera is 63.
✅ Pleaded guilty to one felony count of accessory after the fact.
✅ Boyfriend is Bernhard Eugen Fritsch, 64.
✅ Jury convicted Fritsch in April 2025.
✅ Fraud exceeded $20 million.
✅ Fraud occurred from 2014–2017.
✅ Fled to Mexico on June 2, 2025.
✅ Manera made 10 payments totaling about $7,475.
✅ Authorized $534 hotel payment.
✅ Searched for travel from Mexico to Germany.
✅ Germany generally does not extradite its own citizens.
✅ Fritsch sentenced in absentia to:
- 15 years in prison
- $35,000 fine
- $26,806,901 restitution
✅ Appeal dismissed in April 2026 because he is a fugitive.
✅ May seek reinstatement if he surrenders by Aug. 21, 2026.
✅ Manera faces up to five years in prison.
✅ Sentencing scheduled for Oct. 5.
✅ FBI investigated.