The FBI is searching for a Michigan-born woman accused of running a multimillion-dollar fraud scheme in Southern California.
Investigators say 73-year-old Mary Carole McDonnell is wanted on charges of bank fraud and aggravated identity theft tied to an alleged scheme carried out in Los Angeles and Orange counties between July 2017 and May 2018.
“Beginning in approximately July 2017 and continuing to May of 2018, McDonnell is alleged to have knowingly, and with intent to defraud, devised and participated in a scheme to obtain money, funds, assets, and property owned by Banc of California,” the FBI said.
Federal agents say McDonnell pretended to be an heir to the McDonnell Aircraft family and falsely claimed she would someday gain access to an $80 million secret trust.
According to investigators, she secured roughly $14.7 million from Banc of California, despite knowing she had no authorization and never repaid the money.
The FBI says she used similar tactics to defraud additional financial institutions of more than $15 million.
McDonnell previously served as CEO of Bellum Entertainment LLC, a production company based in Burbank, and has documented ties to Los Angeles, Montgomery, Alabama, and Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.
A federal arrest warrant was issued for McDonnell on Dec. 12, 2018, by the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.
Deadline reported that Bellum Entertainment came under investigation by the California Labor Commission in 2017 for allegedly failing to pay dozens of former employees. The outlet also noted that McDonnell claimed the company couldn’t meet payroll because of “significant bank fraud.”
Investigators believe McDonnell is currently in Dubai. They describe her as a White female, 5 feet 7 inches tall, about 145 pounds, with blonde hair, blue eyes, and a scar on her right knee.
Anyone with information about McDonnell’s location is urged to contact their local FBI office or the nearest American embassy or consulate.
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