A woman allegedly posed as an heiress and scammed nearly $30 million from banks and institutions in Los Angeles and Orange counties, according to authorities.
Between July 2017 and May 2018, Mary Carole McDonnell, 73, falsely claimed to be the heir to the McDonnell aircraft family and said that she would have access to an $80-million secret trust fund, according to an FBI news release.
The FBI is now appealing for the public’s help in locating this fugitive who remains on the run.
The McDonnell Aircraft Corp. was founded by James S. McDonnell and was a major aerospace and defense contractor, manufacturing military jets such as the F-4 Phantom II and NASA’s Mercury and Gemini space capsules. His son, John F. McDonnell, who served as the chairman of the McDonnell Douglas Corp., has a net worth of about $183 million.
McDonnell is accused of fraudulently obtaining about $14.7 million from the Banc of California and also defrauding other institutions, resulting in a loss of more than $15 million, according to the FBI release.
On Dec. 12, 2018, a federal arrest warrant was issued for McDonnell in the U.S. District Court Central District of California in Santa Ana after she was charged with aggravated identity theft and bank fraud, according to the release.
McDonnell is believed to currently be in Dubai, officials said. She was born in Michigan and also has ties to Montgomery, Ala.
She is described as having blond hair with a weight of 145 pounds. She is 5’7” and has a scar on her right knee.
McDonnell also served as the chief executive officer of Bellum Entertainment LLC, a production company based in Burbank that produced such television series as, “I Married a Murderer,” and “It Takes a Killer,” according to KTLA.
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