INSIDE
Caltrans plans day and night lane closures along PCH and Topanga Canyon Boulevard smmirror.com
September 11 – September 17, 2026 Volume CXXIII Issue 214
See Page 2
Federal authorities name fugitive Santa Monica tech executive to the FBI’s Most Wanted Fraudsters list
Investigators offer up to $150,000 for information leading to Bernhard Eugen Fritsch.
Federal law enforcement agents added a former Santa Monica technology executive to the newly created FBI Most Wanted Fraudsters list after he fled the country to avoid a 15-year prison sentence for a $26.8 million investment scheme. Assistant Director in Charge Patrick Grandy of the FBI's Los Angeles Field Office announced the addition of 65-yearold Bernhard Eugen Fritsch, who is wanted by federal authorities in Los Angeles. A reward of up to $150,000 is available for information leading to Fritsch's arrest and conviction. Federal prosecutors charged Fritsch in August 2017, alleging he defrauded investors through his Santa Monica-based startup, StarClub Inc., between 2014 and 2017. Fritsch solicited capital for a mobile
application called StarSite, promising technology that would allow celebrities and digital influencers to monetize commercial brand endorsements. Trial evidence showed Fritsch lured investors using fraudulent revenue figures, false claims of pending buyout offers from entertainment giants like Disney, and fabricated lists of high-profile financial backers. Instead of developing software, Fritsch siphoned millions of dollars into personal luxury purchases, buying a McLaren, a Rolls-Royce, a yacht, and multi-million-dollar renovations for his Malibu mansion near Carbon Beach. A Los Angeles federal jury convicted Fritsch of wire fraud in April 2025. He posted bond but fled to Sinaloa, Mexico, in June 2025 before a scheduled revocation hearing, prompting federal judges to issue a bench warrant for his arrest. Mexican immigration officers detained Fritsch in September 2025 for possessing forged identification. Released with orders to report to a Mexican court biweekly, Fritsch instead absconded to Munich, Germany, on Oct. 6, 2025. United States District Court judges sentenced Fritsch in absentia on Oct.
20, 2025, imposing 15 years in federal prison, a $35,000 fine, and $26,806,901 in restitution. Federal prosecutors subsequently secured a guilty plea in June 2026 from Fritsch's girlfriend, 63-year-old Lucinda Jane Weist Manera aka Lucy Weist, of Malibu, for acting as an accessory after the fact by assisting his flight through Mexico
to Germany. Anyone with information about this case is urged to contact the FBI’s toll-free tipline at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-2255324) or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov. The case against Fritsch was investigated by the FBI. Fritsch is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California.
Local emergency declared in Malibu as massive sinkhole opens in the driveway of a home belonging to actor Nicolas Cage; and red tags dozens of homes. The 30-foot-deep collapse isolates 24 residences from emergency vehicles, triggers gas shutoffs, and prompts evacuations.
Malibu Acting Director of Emergency Services declared a local state of emergency Tuesday following the collapse that formed a massive sinkhole on Sea Level Drive
that has red-tagged 31 residences, severed utility lines, and blocked emergency vehicle access. The official proclamation invokes Malibu Municipal Code Section 2.52.020, citing conditions of extreme peril to public safety and property. The declaration enacts local emergency powers under the city's Emergency Operations Plan, which was approved by the Malibu City Council on October 14, 2024. The executive order was issued directly because the Malibu City Council was not in session and could not be called into session immediately. Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department deputies and Los Angeles County Fire Department firefighters arrived at the western Malibu neighborhood around 5:45 a.m. Tuesday after receiving reports of a
collapsed private driveway and a natural gas leak near 31630 Sea Level Drive. Building safety inspectors determined that environmental instability began developing in the area as early as Monday, September 7. The chasm measures approximately 25 to 30 feet deep and spans 30 by 60 feet wide. Inspectors with the Malibu Building
Safety Division directly red-tagged seven properties due to physical structural damage from the collapse. The City redtagged an additional 24 homes because the destroyed roadway prevents safe vehicular access. Continue on page 6