Former TV Producer Joins FBI's Ten Most Wanted for Bank Fraud

Mary Carole McDonnell, a 73-year-old former television producer known for true crime series, was added to the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list on Tuesday for her alleged role in a multimillion-dollar bank fraud scheme that targeted financial institutions in California.

Federal investigators accuse McDonnell of posing as an heiress to the McDonnell Aircraft Corporation fortune, falsely claiming access to an $80 million secret trust fund. The scheme, which unfolded between July 2017 and May 2018 in Los Angeles and Orange counties, involved defrauding Banc of California out of $14.7 million in loans. Authorities say she knowingly participated in the fraud, using the funds to cover payroll and creditor obligations for her production company, Bellum Entertainment, without any intention of repayment. In total, McDonnell allegedly stole nearly $30 million from multiple banks and institutions through similar tactics.

At the time, McDonnell served as CEO of Bellum Entertainment, a Burbank-based firm that produced dozens of true crime programs, including "It Takes a Killer" and "I Married a Murderer." The company, which ceased operations in 2017, faced financial strain, leading to...