FBI hunts Michigan woman accused of stealing nearly $30M while posing as aircraft heiress
The FBI is looking for a Michigan-born woman who allegedly orchestrated a multimillion-dollar fraud scheme in Southern California.
Investigators say that Mary Carole McDonnell, 73, is wanted on charges of bank fraud and aggravated identity theft in connection with the alleged scheme carried out in Los Angeles and Orange counties between July 2017 and May 2018, the FBI said.
“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.
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Federal investigators say McDonnell posed as an heir to the McDonnell Aircraft family and falsely claimed she would eventually gain access to an $80 million secret trust.
She was able to obtain approximately $14.7 million from Banc of California although she knew she was not authorized and did not repay it.
She used similar methods to defraud other financial institutions of more than $15 million, according to the FBI.
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She previously served as the CEO of Bellum Entertainment LLC, a Burbank-based production company, and has documented ties to Los Angeles, Montgomery, Alabama, and Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
A federal arrest warrant for McDonnell was issued on Dec. 12, 2018, in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.
A report by Deadline cites that Bellum Entertainment came under investigation by the California Labor Commission in 2017 for the alleged nonpayment of wages to dozens of former employees.
The outlet also reported that McDonnell told employees the company couldn’t meet payroll because of “significant bank fraud.”
Investigators say they believe that McDonnell is currently in Dubai and describe her as a White female, 5 feet 7 inches tall, weighing 145 pounds, with blonde hair, blue eyes, and a scar on her right knee.
Anyone with information on McDonnell’s whereabouts is urged to contact their local FBI office or the nearest American embassy or consulate.
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