FBI Seeks Fugitive ‘Fake Heiress’ Accused of $30M Bank Fraud in California
LOS ANGELES — Federal authorities are intensifying their search for a 73-year-old woman alleged to have orchestrated a multi-million-dollar bank fraud scheme by posing as a wealthy aviation heir, a ruse that reportedly siphoned off nearly $30 million from financial institutions and lenders over a year-long con in Southern California. The suspect, Mary Carole McDonnell, now appears on the FBI’s Most Wanted list as investigators renew calls for public tips on her whereabouts, believed to be somewhere in the United Arab Emirates.
McDonnell was the chief executive of Bellum Entertainment LLC, a television production and distribution company known for true-crime series such as It Takes a Killer and I Married a Murderer. When Bellum sank into financial trouble in 2017 — including unpaid wages and lawsuits from former employees — McDonnell allegedly began claiming she was heir to the McDonnell Aircraft family fortune and that an $80 million secret trust awaited her.
According to FBI statements and court records, McDonnell used that fabricated identity to secure large loans and other financial advantages from banks between July 2017 and May 2018, fraudulently obtaining millions of dollars she was never entitled to. Prosecutors have charged her with bank fraud and aggravated identity theft, but she fled before arrest warrants could be executed in December 2018.
Former colleagues of McDonnell have described chaotic scenes at Bellum during the company’s collapse. Some ex-employees told Deadline and other outlets that the firm failed to pay them what they were owed, and that McDonnell attributed the issues to supposed external “bank fraud” — a claim that authorities now say was part of her elaborate scheme.
The FBI has released multiple aliases associated with McDonnell, including Mary Carole Carroll and Mary C. Carroll, and lists her last known ties to Los Angeles, California, Montgomery, Alabama, and Dubai. In addition to financial institutions, civil lawsuits from former workers and creditors allege she left behind unpaid debts and legal battles as the company dissolved amid mounting scrutiny.
Federal agents urge anyone with information on McDonnell’s location to contact the FBI Los Angeles Field Office or submit tips through local U.S. embassies or consulates abroad. Officials stress that even older cases involving fugitives can yield breakthroughs with public cooperation, particularly in complex fraud investigations with international dimensions.
