Federal authorities are on the lookout for a woman linked to a significant fraud case in California, where she allegedly swindled millions by posing as an heiress.
The FBI is searching for 73-year-old Mary Carol McDonnell from Michigan, as reported on Tuesday.
She previously held the CEO position at Bellum Entertainment LLC, a company investigated in 2017 for failing to pay its employees.
The FBI’s Most Wanted page indicates that Ms. McDonnell has blonde hair, blue eyes, weighs about 145 pounds, and has a scar on her right knee.
“McDonnell has connections in Los Angeles, California, Montgomery, Alabama, and Dubai, UAE,” the agency noted, detailing the alleged fraud scheme.
She is accused of participating in fraud schemes in Los Angeles and Orange County, California. Between July 2017 and May 2018, McDonnell allegedly devised a scheme aimed at obtaining money, assets, and real estate from the Bank of California, resulting in approximately $14.7 million being fraudulently acquired from banks she knew she wasn’t entitled to, and which remains unpaid.
Additionally, McDonnell is thought to have deceived other financial institutions, causing losses estimated to exceed $15 million. She reportedly accessed an $80 million secret trust by claiming to be the heir to the McDonnell Aircraft family. A federal arrest warrant for her was issued on December 12, 2018, by the U.S. District Court for the Central District of Santa Ana, California, on charges of bank fraud and aggravated identity theft. It’s believed she’s currently in Dubai.
According to a report, Dubai is known as a hideout for fugitives, attracting those wishing to benefit from a liberal trade environment and connect with powerful criminal networks.
Such conditions also offer opportunities for laundering illegally obtained money around the world. The article mentions the hawala system, commonly used in the Middle East, which allows for funds to be moved globally with little traceability, particularly in the UAE.
