Federal officials are looking for a woman accused in a massive California fraud scheme wherein she allegedly posed as an heiress and got her hands on millions of dollars.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is searching for the suspect identified as 73-year-old Mary Carole McDonnell of Michigan, Fox News reported Tuesday.
The outlet said she previously served as the CEO of Bellum Entertainment LLC which was reportedly investigated in 2017 for alleged nonpayment of wages to its workers.
An image shows the wanted suspect:
On its Most Wanted page, the FBI said McDonnell is blonde with blue eyes, weighs 145 pounds, and has a scar on her right knee.
“McDonnell has ties to Los Angeles, California; Montgomery, Alabama; and Dubai, United Arab Emirates,” the agency stated. It then detailed the alleged fraud scheme:
Mary Carole McDonnell is wanted for her alleged involvement in a fraud scheme in Los Angeles and Orange Counties in California. Beginning in approximately July of 2017, and continuing to May of 2018, 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. Through this scheme, McDonnell allegedly and fraudulently obtained a total of approximately $14.7 million from the bank to which she knew she was not entitled and has not paid back.
It is alleged that McDonnell also defrauded additional financial institutions in a similar fashion, with an estimated loss of over $15 million. McDonnell falsely claims to be an heir to the McDonnell Aircraft Family, with an $80 million secret trust to which she will have access. On December 12, 2018, a federal arrest warrant was issued for McDonnell in the United States District Court, Central District of California, Santa Ana, California, after she was charged with Bank Fraud and Aggravated Identity Theft. It is believed McDonnell is currently in Dubai.
According to the Manchester Evening News, Dubai has become a hiding place for criminals looking to enjoy its extravagance, free-trade zones, and to make deals with some of the world’s “most powerful gangsters.”
“These opportunities also allowed a range of contacts who could launder ill-gotten gains safely around the world. The Hawala system, a way of seemingly moving money around the world with no paper trail, is used in the Middle East, including in the United Arab Emirates (UAE),” the article read.
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