For years, Mary Carole McDonnell cultivated an image of creative success and industry credibility as the head of a California television company that specialized in true-crime programming. Today, at 73 years old, she is the subject of an active FBI manhunt, accused of orchestrating a vast financial deception that involved impersonating an aviation heiress, fabricating a multimillion-dollar trust fund, and stealing more than $30 million from multiple banks before disappearing abroad.
Federal authorities say Mary Carole McDonnell is now believed to be living in Dubai and remains a fugitive seven years after her alleged crimes came to light. Her case has gained renewed attention due to the scale of the alleged fraud, the dramatic nature of her disappearance, and her long-standing presence in the entertainment world, where she operated a company now associated with unpaid wages, lawsuits, and financial turmoil. What emerges is a portrait of a woman who spent decades shaping real-life crime narratives on screen while federal authorities claim she was simultaneously crafting an elaborate criminal narrative of her own.
McDonnell’s Rise in Television and the Collapse of Bellum Entertainment
Before her name became linked to federal charges, Mary Carole McDonnell was best known as the CEO of Bellum Entertainment LLC, a Burbank-based production company responsible for a number of syndicated true-crime series aired across the United States and internationally. The company produced titles such as It Takes a Killer and I Married a Murderer, shows that thrived on high-profile investigations, dramatic storytelling, and detailed examinations of criminal behavior.
Under McDonnell’s leadership, Bellum operated for years as a mid-level player in a competitive segment of the television market, supplying low-cost, high-volume content to networks that relied heavily on crime-focused programming. But behind the scenes, Bellum was already facing serious internal and financial problems long before the FBI announced its investigation into Mary Carole McDonnell.
In 2017, the California Labor Commission began examining allegations that the company had failed to pay wages owed to dozens of employees, including producers, writers, and editors who claimed they were owed months of unpaid compensation. Reports emerged that the company was in disarray, running on limited cash flow, and unable to meet its basic financial obligations.
According to industry coverage at the time, including reporting from Deadline, Mary Carole McDonnell told employees the company could not meet payroll due to what she described as “significant bank fraud,” a claim that created confusion and fear among staff members desperate for answers. Her nephew, Peter McDonnell, who served as the company’s vice president for a decade, later stated publicly that he had never been told of any bank fraud, nor had he seen evidence of it.
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He left the company in mid-2017, claiming he was still owed at least $10,000 in unpaid wages. The company ultimately folded that same year, citing unresolved financial issues. While employees struggled to secure compensation and clarity, federal investigators say Mary Carole McDonnell was carrying out a very different set of financial activities elsewhere—ones that would eventually lead to her becoming a wanted fugitive.
The Alleged $30 Million Fraud Scheme and the Invention of an Aerospace Heiress
According to the FBI, Mary Carole McDonnell’s alleged criminal operation ran from July 2017 through May 2018, overlapping with the tumultuous period in which Bellum Entertainment was collapsing. Federal authorities say McDonnell devised and executed a sophisticated scheme to defraud multiple banks in Los Angeles and Orange counties by posing as an aviation heiress connected to the McDonnell Aircraft Corporation, one of the most significant aerospace manufacturers in American history.
She allegedly claimed she had access to a hidden or “secret” $80 million trust fund linked to the McDonnell aircraft dynasty, a fabricated inheritance she used to persuade banks to extend large lines of credit or release funds on the assumption that she possessed substantial financial backing. The FBI says she fraudulently obtained approximately $14.7 million from Banc of California alone.
Similar tactics were reportedly used to secure an additional $15 million from other financial institutions in the region. The scale of the deception, combined with the credibility of her fabricated backstory, enabled her to access large sums of money over a relatively short period of time. Federal investigators say McDonnell took deliberate steps to present herself as a legitimate member of the McDonnell family, a recognizable name associated with aerospace innovation, military contracts, and major contributions to U.S. aviation history. None of her claims were true.
Court filings indicate McDonnell also used multiple aliases during the period of the alleged scheme, including Mary Carole Carroll, Mary C. Carroll, Mary Carroll McDonnell, and Mary Carroll McDonald. By moving between identities, she allegedly strengthened her false narrative and navigated between institutions without triggering immediate suspicion. In December 2018, the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California issued a federal arrest warrant charging McDonnell with bank fraud and aggravated identity theft. But by that time, she had already vanished.
Authorities now believe McDonnell left the country shortly after her alleged crimes came under scrutiny, ultimately settling in Dubai. The FBI continues to list her as a fugitive, noting that she may still have access to funds taken during the scheme and may be using them to shield herself from capture. Her case stands out not only for the financial scope of the allegations but also for the extent of planning involved in creating an entirely fictitious personal history tied to one of the most influential aerospace families in America.
The Ongoing Manhunt and the Unanswered Questions About Her Disappearance
More than six years after the arrest warrant was issued, Mary Carole McDonnell remains one of the more elusive fraud suspects sought by federal authorities. The FBI has released formal bulletins describing her appearance and known aliases, urging the public to come forward with any information that might lead to her capture. According to the agency, McDonnell is a white woman with blond hair, blue eyes, and a noticeable scar on her right knee.
She is estimated to stand 5 feet 7 inches tall and weigh around 145 pounds. Her age and physical characteristics make her relatively easy to identify, yet authorities say she has managed to avoid detection, likely aided by her access to stolen funds and her decision to relocate to a region where U.S. law enforcement has limited reach. Her alleged flight raises numerous unresolved questions. Investigators have not publicly detailed how she managed to leave the country, whether she had assistance, or how much money she may have taken with her.
Her last documented locations included Los Angeles, Montgomery in Alabama, and multiple banking institutions in Southern California, yet her movements after the fraud investigation began remain unclear. The FBI has indicated that she has ties to Dubai, a popular destination for expatriates and a city known for attracting individuals seeking to avoid legal scrutiny in their home countries, though many such cases ultimately result in extradition.
The international dimension of McDonnell’s disappearance complicates efforts to bring her to trial in the United States. While the U.S. maintains diplomatic channels with the United Arab Emirates, extradition processes depend on a range of factors, including the nature of the alleged crimes, the availability of evidence, and the ability to locate the suspect precisely. With McDonnell using multiple aliases and potentially traveling under false documentation, identifying her exact residence remains a challenge.
At the same time, her long career in television and the visibility she enjoyed within industry circles raise further questions about how such a significant fraud might have been carried out in parallel with her business activities. Former employees of Bellum Entertainment have noted in interviews that the company’s financial instability was apparent well before the FBI investigation.
Some have described McDonnell as secretive about the company’s accounts, while others reported that she maintained a persona of authority and professionalism that kept many employees from suspecting misconduct. Whether the alleged bank fraud was connected to the company’s collapse, or was merely happening concurrently, remains a matter of speculation, as federal filings do not directly link Bellum’s financial distress to McDonnell’s alleged criminal scheme.
Federal authorities continue to encourage individuals with information about McDonnell’s location to contact the FBI or the nearest American embassy or consulate. Her case stands as one of the more unusual intersections of media, deception, and high-value financial crime in recent years, marked by a dramatic fall from prominence and a disappearance that has left investigators searching for answers across international boundaries. Her decades spent producing stories of crime and punishment have now brought her into the center of a real-life investigation, one that remains unresolved as she continues to evade capture.
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