- Fugitives
- Nov 4, 2026
California True Crime Producer WANTED As FBI EXPOSES $30M Fake Heiress Scheme & Hunts Her In Dubai

- by Statewide Files,
- in Fugitives
For years, Mary Carole McDonnell ran Bellum Entertainment, a Burbank company that made true crime TV shows like "I Married a Murderer" and "It Takes a Killer." According to the FBI, she told banks she was an heir to the McDonnell aircraft family with an $80 million trust coming her way, and used that story to obtain nearly $30 million. A federal warrant was issued in 2018. She vanished. This month, the FBI added her to its Most Wanted Fraudsters list.
In this report
- The true crime boss and the paychecks that bounced
- The cameraman who got paid with a website and a Friday deadline
- The $80 million trust nobody could see
- $14.7 million from Banc of California, and $15 million more
- The aliases, the warrant and the 154-year maximum
- Why Dubai makes this case so hard
- The $150,000 reward
Presumption of innocence
Mary Carole McDonnell is charged with bank fraud and aggravated identity theft. She has not been convicted and is presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.
Sources
FBI Most Wanted Fraudsters listing; federal arrest warrant (Dec. 2018); CBS News Los Angeles; CBS Mornings; NewsNation; Oxygen; Firstpost (citing Business Insider). News footage is used under fair use for news reporting and commentary.





