Hollywood actress Lucinda Jane Weist Manera, 63, has pleaded guilty to being an accessory after the fact for assisting her boyfriend, Bernhard Eugen Fritsch, 64, in evading law enforcement following his conviction for a $20 million investment scam. Manera faces up to five years in federal prison.
Fritsch was found guilty of wire fraud on April 3, 2025, for defrauding investors between 2014 and 2017. He had falsely represented his software company's financial performance and a celebrity-focused app called StarSite, promising millions in revenue and deals with major companies. Instead, Fritsch used investor funds to support a lavish lifestyle, including luxury vehicles and renovations to his Malibu mansion.
Following his conviction, Fritsch was released on bond with a June 2, 2025, hearing scheduled for his potential remand into federal custody. However, he fled the U.S. that day, crossing into Mexico to avoid imprisonment. Manera knowingly assisted Fritsch in his evasion from June to September 2025. She provided financial support, including approximately $7,475 to a third party where Fritsch was hiding, and authorized a $534 hotel charge in Mexico. Manera also lied to FBI agents, stating she had not spoken to Fritsch within a day of his June 2 hearing.
In September 2025, Manera researched methods for Fritsch to travel from Mexico to Germany, a country that generally does not extradite its citizens. Fritsch was later sentenced in absentia in October 2025 to 15 years in federal prison, fined $35,000, and ordered to pay over $26 million in restitution. Authorities are still seeking his surrender.
Manera, known for roles in "Blown Away" and "The Silencers," was present in court when Fritsch was convicted. U.S. District Judge Dale S. Fischer has set an October 5 sentencing hearing for Manera.