FBI offers $150K reward for arrest of 75-year-old woman wanted in $30M scam

A 75-year-old woman has been added to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Most Wanted Fraudsters List after being accused of defrauding nearly $30 million from banks and other financial institutions in a year-long scheme while posing as a fake heiress.

Mary Carole McDonnell is wanted for her alleged involvement in the fraud scheme in Los Angeles County and Orange County in California, which began in approximately July of 2017 and continued to May of 2018, according to a news release from the FBI.

McDonnell was added to the FBI’s newly formed Most Wanted Fraudsters list on Wednesday and the agency is offering a reward of up to $150,000 in exchange for information that leads to her arrest and conviction.

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It’s alleged that McDonnell falsely claimed to be an heir to the McDonnell Aircraft family, with an $80-million secret trust to which she claimed she’d have access.

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“McDonnell 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.

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Through the scheme, McDonnell allegedly and fraudulently obtained a total of $14.7 million from the bank “to which she knew she was not entitled and has not paid back,” according to the FBI.

It is also alleged that McDonnell, who is believed to currently be in Dubai, swindled additional financial institutions, with an estimated loss of over $15 million.

A federal arrest warrant was issued for McDonnell in the United States District Court, Central District of California in Santa Ana, Calif., in December 2018, after she was charged with bank fraud and aggravated identity theft.

“Most Wanted Fraudster Mary McDonnell is wanted for defrauding financial institutions out of millions and is known to have falsified her inheritance and background,” said Patrick Grandy, the Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office.

“It’s just a matter of time before McDonnell is caught as we work with our international partners to locate her. A generous reward is being offered in exchange for information leading to her apprehension and conviction, and a tip from the public might break the case,” Grandy added.

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McDonnell’s last known occupation was CEO and founder of the now-defunct Bellum Entertainment, a Burbank-based television production and distribution company.

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She is described as five feet, seven inches tall with blonde hair and blue eyes.

The FBI said that McDonnell has ties to Los Angeles, Calif., Montgomery, Ala. and Dubai, UAE.

McDonnell also goes by many aliases, including Mary Carole Carroll, Mary Carol McDonnell, Mary Carroll McDonnell, Mary C. Carroll and Mary Carroll McDonald, officials said.

Authorities urge anyone with information regarding McDonnell to call local FBI offices, the nearest American embassy or submit anonymous tips online.