(People) - A 73-year-old Michigan native who allegedly posed as an heiress in California is on the run after scamming nearly $30 million from banks and institutions, the Federal Bureau of Investigation announced. The FBI believes she may now be in Dubai.
Mary Carole McDonnell is wanted for her alleged involvement in a fraud scheme in Los Angeles County and Orange County, Calif., from approximately July 2017 to May 2018, according to the FBI's press release.
The agency alleges that McDonnell, who also has ties to Montgomery, Ala., falsely claimed to be an heir to the McDonnell Aircraft Family and that she would have access to an $80 million secret trust.
She is alleged to have "knowingly, and with the intent to defraud, devised and participated in a scheme to obtain money, funds, assets, and property owned by Banc of California," the FBI said.
Through this alleged scheme, the FBI claims McDonnell fraudulently obtained approximately $14.7 million from the bank to which she knew she was not entitled and has not repaid.
McDonnell also allegedly defrauded other financial institutions "in a similar manner" of over $15 million, per authorities.
She is described as a blonde woman weighing 145 pounds and 5'7" with a scar on her right knee.
McDonnell previously served as the chief executive officer of the now-defunct Bellum Entertainment LLC, a Burbank-based production company that produced shows including I Married a Murderer and It Takes a Killer, according to KTLA.
The entertainment company was previously under investigation by the California Labor Commission for alleged wage nonpayment to dozens of its former workers, Deadline reported in 2017.
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A federal arrest warrant was issued for McDonnell in U.S. District Court, Central District of California, Santa Ana, California, on Dec. 12, 2018, after she was charged with Bank Fraud and Aggravated Identity Theft, according to the FBI.
Authorities ask that anyone with information contact FBI field offices or the nearest American embassies and consulates. Anonymous tips can also be submitted at the FBI's website.
By Ingrid Vasquez
December 9, 2025
