Hanno Laskowski as guarantor for Wanja Oberhof in the USA

Oberhof owes this to his father-in-law Hans-Georg Oelmann and another, as yet unknown, guarantor. According to Handelsblatt information, this is the Berlin entrepreneur Hanno Laskowski. A spokesman for Laskowski confirmed this when asked. “The guarantee is a private matter that is based on a long-standing friendly relationship with Wanja Oberhof,” said the spokesman.

At least one business connection between Laskowski and Oberhof is documented. Laskowski is the managing director and partner of several companies, including HL Invest GmbH, a strategy consultancy for e-commerce business. HL Invest holds almost 22 percent of Commertunity AG, an investment platform for brands and critical raw materials, in which Oberhof acts as CEO.

In addition, Laskowski is also the managing director and shareholder of several companies in the care industry. Laskowski is also known as a classic car specialist. In Berlin he runs a workshop and a car dealership. He is also a passionate racing driver. For example, he starts in the Ferrari Challenge Europe, a one-make racing series run by the Italian sports car manufacturer.

Oberhof was arrested on September 12th at Newark Airport in New Jersey. The US justice system accuses the serial founder of having defrauded former Siemens boss Klaus Kleinfeld of $2.5 million. Kleinfeld invested in Oberhof's start-up "The Healing Company", which he and his wife Anabel Oelmann wanted to expand into a wellness group.

Kleinfeld's money was intended, among other things, to replace a lender and secure assets. In fact, around $1.8 million is said to have flowed into a German account controlled by Oberhof. He also allegedly used funds to repay a personal loan and rent a luxury penthouse in New York City. Kleinfeld is listed as “Victim No. 1” by the US judiciary and has heavily incriminated Oberhof with his statements.

One of the investors in the seed round of “The Healing Company” was the well-known German venture capitalist Christian Angermayer. He invested around two million dollars, the money is probably gone. “The investment was a disappointment and has been completely written off for a long time,” Angermayer’s spokeswoman told Handelsblatt.

If the suspicion is confirmed, Oberhof could face up to 20 years in prison. He rejects the allegations. Even after his release from custody in the MDC, extensive restrictions apply to him. These include house arrest, GPS monitoring and the surrender of his passport. The prison itself is considered overcrowded. In the past, inmates have reported maggots in their food, rats and dilapidated sanitary facilities. Venezuela's former dictator Nicolás Maduro is also imprisoned here.