A Malibu woman pleaded guilty Monday to helping her convicted boyfriend escape law enforcement, hide out in Mexico, then later flee to his native Germany to avoid incarceration and sentencing in his Los Angeles criminal case.
Lucinda Jane Weist Manera, 63, also known as “Lucy Weist,” pleaded guilty in Los Angeles federal court to one felony count of being an accessory after the fact.
According to her plea agreement, in April 2025, a federal jury found Bernhard Eugen Fritsch, 64, then of Malibu, guilty of one count of wire fraud.
From 2014 to 2017, Fritsch defrauded investors out of more than $20 million by lying to them about his technology company’s financial performance related to a software application designed to help celebrities and social media influencers monetize their brand endorsements, according to evidence presented at a nine-day trial.
Manera was present in the courtroom when the guilty verdict against Fritsch was read. Fritsch was free on bond at the time. A hearing related to Fritsch’s potential remand into federal custody was scheduled for June 2, 2025, and he was to be sentenced at a later date.
On June 2, 2025, Fritsch fled the United States by car and crossed the international border into Mexico to avoid being taken into custody and avoid serving any prison sentence related to his fraud conviction, prosecutors contended in court papers.
From June 2025 to September 2025, Manera assisted Fritsch by hindering and preventing Fritsch’s apprehension and punishment, including by lying to FBI special agents that she hadn’t spoken to her boyfriend within a day of his scheduled June 2 hearing, her plea agreement states.
In September 2025, Manera searched the internet on Fritsch’s behalf for information on how he could leave Mexico and travel to his native Germany, which generally prohibits the extradition of its citizens, prosecutors said.
In October 2025, Fritsch was sentenced in absentia to 15 years in federal prison, fined $35,000, and ordered to pay $26,806,901 in restitution.
In April 2026, the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed Fritsch’s appeal due to his fugitive status, because a fugitive criminal defendant is generally not entitled to a decision on the merits of his claims. If Fritsch surrenders to authorities by Aug. 21, 2026, he would be allowed to reinstate the appeal.
U.S. District Judge Dale S. Fischer scheduled an Oct. 5 sentencing hearing, at which time Manera will face up to five years in federal prison, prosecutors noted.