A 73-year-old woman is on the run after allegedly posing as an heiress with a multimillion-dollar secret trust fund. Authorities say Mary Carole McDonnell scammed nearly $30 million from banks and is now on the FBI's most wanted list.

California

Mary Carol McDonald, a 73-year-old former CEO of Bellum Entertainment, is accused of defrauding banks out of nearly $30 million by posing as an heiress to a fictitious $80 million trust fund. Authorities allege she secured large loans by falsely claiming ties to the McDonald-Douglas Aerospace Company, to which she has no relation.

McDonald was charged with bank fraud and identity theft in December 2018 but has remained at large since then. The FBI has added her to its 10 Most Wanted list and believes she may be residing in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The case has drawn comparisons to the Anna Sorokin scandal, though McDonald has yet to be apprehended.

Fake heiress allegedly scammed banks out of nearly $30 million

A woman on the run, allegedly, after posing as an heiress with a multi-million dollar secret trust fund, 73-year-old Mary Carol McDonald is now on the FBI's 10 Most Wanted list. Authorities say she scammed nearly $30 million from banks. Whoa. Adriana Diaz is here with this amazing story. Adriana, good morning. Good morning. It's a lot of money. So the accusations leveled against McDonald are reminiscent of the charges against Anna Sorokin. Remember her? She went by Anna Delvey, the fake heiress. Yeah. Yeah. She swindled banks, hotels, and individuals out of hundreds of thousands of dollars. Well, a major difference, Sorokin was arrested, tried, and convicted, while McDonald remains a fugitive. Before landing on the FBI's Most Wanted list, Mary Carol McDonald was the CEO of Bellum Entertainment. Coming up now on Justice Served. A now defunct production company that once specialized in true crime shows. In court documents, authorities allege McDonald defrauded the Bank of California out of New York's nearly $15 million between 2017 and 2018, securing loans by falsely claiming she was the heiress of a soon-to-be-distributed $80 million trust fund. Authorities say she claimed that money would come from one of the founders of the McDonald-Douglas Aerospace Company, to whom she has no actual relation. She allegedly used the money from bank loans to pay creditors and then cover payroll for her company, Bellum. McDonald was charged with bank fraud and identity theft in December 2018. CBS News Los Angeles spoke to several Bellum employees a year earlier who complained about bounced checks and delayed payments. That included director Brian Testa. I was supposed to be on a show for 52 episodes, and now I'm just spinning. We caught up with him Tuesday. I saw the blurb that she was on the FBI's Most Wanted list. It was a surprise that they're actually doing something about it. Wow. So, McDonald also faces accusations that she defrauded other financial institutions in a similar way, resulting in an additional $15 million in losses. According to the FBI, she's believed to be in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. Whoa. No thanks to background checks. She might stand out there. She might stand out there. They can spot her. Yeah. Well, the FBI says she's 5'7". She has blue eyes, 145 pounds, and she has a scar on her right knee. I don't understand how she was able to do this. Yes. Banks, I believe there should be some kind of check. The other thing is, if people use their creative scheming for good, can you imagine what kind of world this would be? Yeah. It shows how good she is as a con artist. She was charged back in 2018, $30 million is what she supposedly took, and they haven't found her since then. She's got a head start. Yeah. But now she's on the FBI Most Wanted list, and the word's getting out. I think so. I think they're going to get her. Can you imagine if your former boss- She's probably not blonde anymore. Your former boss shows up on the FBI Most Wanted list? I told you. Yeah. Honey, I told you. I knew I hated her for a reason. You're right. She ain't blonde no more. Thank you, Adrienne.

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