A Southern California woman accused of orchestrating one of the regionβs most audacious financial scams is now among the FBIβs Most Wanted fugitives.
Federal investigators say 73-year-old Mary Carole McDonnell spent years posing as a wealthy aerospace heiress while siphoning nearly $30 million from multiple financial institutions before vanishing overseas.
According to the FBIβs Los Angeles field office, McDonnellβs alleged scheme began to unfold in the summer of 2017.
Investigators say she crafted an elaborate story that positioned her as the beneficiary of a secret $80 million trust tied to the McDonnell family, founders of the historic McDonnell Aircraft Corporation.
The aerospace company, once a powerhouse of Southern Californiaβs aviation boom, lent its claims a veneer of credibility, thanks to its shared last name.
Agents allege that McDonnell leveraged this fictional inheritance to build trust with employees at Banc of California.
By convincing bank officials she was either already wealthy or on the cusp of receiving a massive payout, she allegedly persuaded the institution to release nearly $15 million in funds.
The FBI states that McDonnell knowingly obtained money to which she was not entitled and failed to repay it.
But Banc of California was not the only target. Federal authorities report that McDonnell repeated variations of the scheme at other financial institutions, securing an additional $15 million through similar fabrications about her supposed aerospace lineage and impending fortune.
By the time investigators pieced together the breadth of the operation, McDonnell had allegedly amassed almost $30 million.
A federal arrest warrant was issued in December 2018, but McDonnell had already disappeared.
For years, little was publicly known about her whereabouts, though a surprising detail emerged from local media: Los Angeles station KTLA-TV reported that McDonnell once served as CEO of a television production company known for true-crime series such as It Takes a Killer and Bizarre Murders.
That company drew scrutiny from California labor authorities in 2017 over alleged wage violations, according to industry outlet Deadline. Just months later, McDonnell slipped out of reach as federal charges loomed.
Now, after seven years as a fugitive, the FBI has elevated the case by placing McDonnell on its Most Wanted list – a roster reserved for fugitives whose capture is considered a high priority for public safety or the advancement of major investigations.
Her wanted poster states that investigators believe she is currently residing in Dubai, a location where many white-collar fugitives have attempted to avoid extradition in recent years.
The FBI is urging anyone with information on McDonnellβs whereabouts to come forward, noting that even small tips may help lead to her arrest.
Authorities describe her as a sophisticated fraudster who meticulously exploited her unearned association with a legendary aerospace name to build credibility and gain access to multimillion-dollar financial channels.
As McDonnell approaches her 74th birthday, federal agents say the quest to locate her has gained renewed urgency.
With her addition to the Most Wanted list, investigators hope increased public awareness may finally bring an end to a saga that blends California aerospace history, Hollywood-adjacent intrigue, and an international, multimillion-dollar trail of deception.