From Business Insider · Jan C. Wehmeyer, Tobias Fuchs, and Jacob Shamsian · · 1m 40s
Siemens CEO's $2.5m app investment was fraud, feds say
A wellness entrepreneur allegedly embezzled most of Klaus Kleinfeld's investment in Deepak Chopra's meditation app for personal expenses.
In brief
A wellness entrepreneur allegedly embezzled most of Klaus Kleinfeld's investment in Deepak Chopra's meditation app for personal expenses. Federal prosecutors charge wellness entrepreneur Wanja Oberhof with wire fraud for allegedly embezzling most of a two point five million dollar investment from former Siemens CEO…
A pitch to invest in Chopra's app
In two thousand twenty-three, wellness entrepreneur Wanja Oberhof pitched Klaus Kleinfeld, the former CEO of Siemens and Alcoa, on investing in Deepak Chopra's meditation app. Kleinfeld invested two point five million dollars.
The Healing Company and the Chopra deal
Oberhof co-founded the Healing Company with his wife, Anabel Oelmann, a former model and CBD oil company owner. In March two thousand twenty-three, the startup acquired Chopra's consumer product line, meditation app, and licensed health retreats.
The alleged embezzlement scheme
Federal prosecutors say Oberhof embezzled most of Kleinfeld's two point five million dollars. Instead of paying back a one point six million dollar credit line as agreed, Oberhof moved more than one point eight million dollars to a German bank account for personal use.
Personal expenses including luxury rent
Prosecutors allege Oberhof used the embezzled money for personal expenses including back rent on his nearly twenty thousand dollar per month Manhattan penthouse. Chopra Global terminated its deal with the Healing Company in July two thousand twenty-four.
Oberhof charged and held in federal custody
Oberhof was charged with one count of wire fraud and made an initial appearance in Manhattan federal court on Monday. He is being held at Metropolitan Detention Center, the federal jail in Brooklyn, and has not yet entered a plea.
The headline
Federal prosecutors charge wellness entrepreneur Wanja Oberhof with wire fraud for allegedly embezzling most of a two point five million dollar investment from former Siemens CEO Klaus Kleinfeld.
