Wild details emerge after Hollywood star smuggled ‘charming liar’ boyfriend out of California as luxe life fell apart

A Hollywood actress bought burner phones, spent thousands of dollars and helped her convicted fraudster boyfriend escape from California as his luxurious Malibu lifestyle fell apart, according to new court filings.

Lucinda Jane Weist Manera, known for her roles in “Blown Away” and “Predator 2,” helped Bernhard Eugen Fritsch escape to Mexico just before he was supposed to return to federal court last year, prosecutors say in a sentencing memo obtained by LA Magazine.

Prosecutors admitted the 63-year-old actress was “under the romantic influence of a charming, skilled liar” when she helped the tech CEO escape.

Now, they are asking a judge to sentence her to 18 months in prison after she pleaded guilty to one felony count of being an accessory after the fact.

New details show that Manera paid $3,500 on May 31, 2025, to a man who flew to Los Angeles the next day to help take Fritsch to Mexico, according to the outlet.

She also reportedly bought two burner phones from Best Buy so she and Fritsch could stay in touch while he was on the run.

Fritsch was convicted of wire fraud in April 2025 for a large scheme involving his Santa Monica tech company, StarClub Inc., which prosecutors said took tens of millions of dollars from investors. Despite the conviction, he remained free on an $8.2 million bond while awaiting a June 2 hearing that could have sent him to jail before sentencing.

Instead, Fritsch fled.

On June 1, the man Manera reportedly paid flew to Los Angeles and rented a car to drive Fritsch away, according to the sentencing memo. Fritsch was taken to Arizona, where he met someone else who took him into Sinaloa and gave him a place to stay.

Prosecutors said Manera then spent months helping him avoid the authorities.

Fritsch was eventually caught in Mexico but managed to escape from Mexican authorities.

On Sept. 24, Manera allegedly authorized a $534.23 charge from her bank account to put him up in a Mexico City hotel. The next day, Fritsch boarded a flight to Munich.

Manera was already in Germany by then, having arrived Sept. 16, though her attorney James Blatt told LA Mag she did not meet Fritsch there. She was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport on Sept. 26, one day after Fritsch landed in his native Germany.

During an interview with FBI agents at LAX, Manera denied knowing the two people who allegedly helped Fritsch escape, even though prosecutors said she had met them. Authorities also rejected any suggestion Manera did not know what Fritsch planned when she helped arrange the trip.

“On May 31, 2025, defendant paid the person who would fly to LA the next day to transport Fritsch across the border, and she purchased burner phones for herself and presumably Fritsch,” prosecutors wrote.

Fritsch’s escape came after years of living large on money prosecutors said he obtained by lying to investors about StarClub and its celebrity-focused StarSite app.

He claimed the company was making millions and nearing lucrative partnerships, investments and buyout offers from major entertainment companies including Disney.

StarClub surrounded itself with Hollywood glitz, hosting events attended by celebrities including Tyrese Gibson, while singer Enrique Iglesias was also linked to the venture.

But prosecutors said Fritsch spent millions on his lavish lifestyle, including renovations to his Malibu mansion near Carbon Beach, a McLaren supercar, a Rolls-Royce and a yacht.

Federal authorities later seized both luxury cars and the yacht.

One investor alone handed over $22 million during two years after buying into Fritsch’s claims, prosecutors said, with total losses ultimately topping $25 million.

Fritsch was sentenced in absentia in October 2025 to 15 years in federal prison, fined $35,000 and ordered to pay $26,806,901 in restitution.

His attempt to challenge his conviction was later dismissed while he was still a fugitive.

The FBI has since added Fritsch to its new Most Wanted Fraudster List and is offering a $150,000 reward for information that leads to his capture, according to Los Angeles.

“The government’s investigation into Fritsch’s activity is ongoing,” prosecutors wrote. “Fritsch, currently a fugitive believed to be residing in Germany, is likely monitoring these proceedings.”

Manera, who was previously married to filmmaker Jim Manera, is expected to learn her fate in October.

She faces up to five years in federal prison.

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