The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is currently seeking 74-year-old Mary Carole McDonnell, who is suspected of impersonating an heir to a prominent American aerospace pioneer family and defrauding nearly $30 million in California.
According to the FBI’s wanted alert, McDonnell was born in Michigan in 1951. Her fraudulent activities primarily took place in Los Angeles and Orange County, California. She falsely claimed to be an heir of the McDonnell Aircraft family (an American aerospace manufacturing company and defense contractor) and asserted her authority over a secret trust fund valued at $80 million.
FBI stated that McDonnell, using these false identities, allegedly orchestrated a scheme involving bank fraud and identity theft in both Los Angeles and Orange County from July 2017 to May 2018.
“She attempted to swindle currency, assets, and property from the Banc of California. Through her fraudulent scheme, McDonnell successfully defrauded the bank of approximately $14.7 million,” FBI said, adding that she also defrauded other financial institutions in a similar manner, resulting in losses exceeding $15 million.
Investigators revealed that McDonnell previously served as the CEO of the entertainment limited company Bellum Entertainment LLC, a production company located in Burbank.
On December 12, 2018, the U.S. Central District Court of California issued a federal arrest warrant for McDonnell, charging her with bank fraud and aggravated identity theft.
Currently on the run, McDonnell is described as a white female, 5 feet 7 inches tall (approximately 1.7 meters), weighing around 145 pounds (about 66 kilograms), with golden hair, blue eyes, and a scar on her right knee. Authorities believe she may currently be in Dubai.
The FBI encourages anyone with information regarding McDonnell’s whereabouts to contact their local FBI office or the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate.