FBI says woman posed as aircraft company heiress in $30M bank fraud scheme

A 73-year-old woman accused of posing as a heiress and defrauding nearly $30 million from banks and other financial institutions is sought by the FBI, the agency said in this week.

Mary Carole McDonnell, a Michigan woman who uses several aliases, is wanted in connection with the fraud scheme in Los Angeles and Orange counties. She is accused of posing as heiress to the McDonnell Aircraft family and falsely claiming to have an $80 million secret trust.

The McDonnell Aircraft Corporation, an aerospace manufacturer best known for its military aircraft, was founded in 1939 and became McDonnell Douglas in a 1967 merger.

NBC News has reached out to the James S. McDonnell Foundation for comment.

According to the FBI, the bank fraud scheme started in July 2017 and continued to May 2018, when McDonnell allegedly tried to obtain money, funds, assets and property owned by Banc of California, headquartered in Los Angeles. McDonnell was

McDonnell was the chief executive officer of now-defunct Burbank production company Bellum Entertainment LLC at the time, NBC News reported. The company was having trouble meeting financial obligations, according to a federal indictment. Several civil complaints alleged that McDonnell owed more that $1 million to creditors, according to authorities.

“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,” the FBI said in a statement. “It is alleged that McDonnell also defrauded additional financial institutions in a similar fashion, with an estimated loss of over $15 million.”

A federal arrest warrant was issued in December 2018 after she was charged with bank fraud and aggravated identity theft.

The FBI said McDonnell is believed to be living in Dubai.