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'Fake heiress' who allegedly defrauded banks out of $14.7 million added to FBI's Most Wanted list

Read the original at The Independent ↗
Cite

Donovan, B. (2026, October 15). 'Fake heiress' who allegedly defrauded banks out of $14.7 million added to FBI's Most Wanted list. The Independent. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/crime/mary-carole-mcdonnell-fake-heiress-fbi-most-wanted-b3067760.html

Dated from the outlet's own feed. Check the original for its byline.

The Independent · collected 2026-10-15 · by Brittney Donovan

Quick Summary

Mary Carole McDonnell, a 75-year-old woman accused of posing as an heiress to defraud banks and other financial institutions of over $14 million, has been added to the FBI's Most Wanted Fraudsters list. The FBI is offering a reward of up to $150,000 for information leading to her arrest and conviction. McDonnell used multiple aliases and false claims about an inherited trust to carry out her fraud from at least 2018, with one bank alone losing approximately $14.7 million. She is believed to be currently in Dubai and authorities are working internationally to locate her.
Written by AI on 2026-10-15, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

As of October 2026, Mary Carole McDonnell, a 75-year-old woman, has been added to the FBI's Most Wanted Fraudsters list for allegedly defrauding banks out of more than $30 million over a year-long period starting in July 2017 and ending in May 2018. The FBI is offering a reward of up to $150,000 for information leading to her arrest and conviction. McDonnell falsely claimed to be an heiress to the McDonnell Aircraft family with access to an $80 million secret trust, which she used to fraudulently obtain about $14.7 million from a single bank and additional funds from other financial institutions. A federal warrant was issued for her arrest in December 2018, and it is believed that McDonnell is currently residing in Dubai.

Written for “FBI Most Wanted Scammers Reward” on 2026-11-04, grounded in this article and the 1 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 FBI Most Wanted Scammers Reward
Crime & Law · 2 article(s) covering the same event. See how they differ ↓

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 22% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
Global News
Hedges 3 of 17 claims Outlet record 63/100
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
18
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
22%
4 of 18 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
59/100
The Independent's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
2
Crime & Law
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-10-15 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

The Independent · 3661 article(s) · 10 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 10 correction(s)

Who wrote this

Brittney Donovan
35 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
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Also by Brittney Donovan
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 35 articles by Brittney Donovan →

Topics

Dubai FBI Independent Los Angeles McDonnell

Subjects

McDonnell PERSON · 10× FBI ORG · 7× Dubai GPE · 2× Los Angeles GPE · 2× California GPE · 1× Independent NORP · 1× Mary Carole McDonnell PERSON · 1× Patrick Grandy PERSON · 1× Santa Ana GPE · 1× the United States District Court ORG · 1×

Narrative

"In December 2018, a federal arrest warrant was issued for McDonnell in the United States District Court, Central District of California, Santa Ana, California, after she was charged with bank fraud and aggravated identity theft.
framing: mixed · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-15
🔮 "McDonnell has falsely claimed to be an heiress to the McDonnell aircraft family, with an $80 million secret trust to which she will have access," the FBI said in a statement.

Claims (18 extracted, 4 hedged)

A 75-year-old woman who allegedly posed as an heiress to steal more than $14 million has been added to the FBI's new Most Wanted Fraudsters list. uncertain
who → pose → list
A reward of $150,000 is available for information resulting in the arrest and conviction of Mary Carole McDonnell, who is also wanted on identity theft charges. asserted
who → result → charges
McDonnell extracted roughly $14.7 million from a single bank alongside defrauding other financial institutions, according to Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI's Los Angeles Field Office Patrick Grandy. uncertain
McDonnell → extract → Grandy
"McDonnell has falsely claimed to be an heiress to the McDonnell aircraft family, with an $80 million secret trust to which she will have access," the FBI said in a statement. asserted
FBI → claim → statement
"In December 2018, a federal arrest warrant was issued for McDonnell in the United States District Court, Central District of California, Santa Ana, California, after she was charged with bank fraud and aggravated identity theft. asserted
she → issue → fraud
It is believed McDonnell is currently in Dubai." asserted
McDonnell → believe → Dubai
She is reported to have used several aliases, including Mary Carole Carroll, Mary Carol McDonnell, Mary Carroll McDonnell, Mary C. Carroll, and Mary Carroll McDonald. asserted
She → report → Carroll
McDonnell is described as white, 5-feet-7 inches tall, weighing approximately 145 pounds, with blond hair, blue eyes, and a scar on her right knee. asserted
McDonnell → describe → knee
The FBI noted her physical appearance may have altered over the years. uncertain
appearance → note → years
She maintains personal or professional ties to Los Angeles, Montgomery, Alabama, and Dubai, United Arab Emirates. asserted
She → maintain → Angeles
"McDonnell is wanted for defrauding financial institutions out of millions and is known to have falsified her inheritance and background," Grandy said. asserted
Grandy → want → inheritance
"It's just a matter of time before McDonnell is caught as we work with our international partners to locate her. asserted
we → catch → her
A generous reward is being offered in exchange for information leading to her apprehension and conviction, and a tip from the public might break the case. uncertain
tip → offer → case
Authorities say McDonnell launched the now-defunct Burbank television production and distribution outfit Bellum Entertainment in 2004, which originally operated as LongNeedle Entertainment and focused on true crime stories. asserted
which → say → stories
Her federal indictment occurred in 2018. asserted
indictment → occur → 2018
Designed specifically to target fugitives sought for major financial crimes, the FBI's Most Wanted Fraudsters list operates independently from the agency's well-known Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list. asserted
list → design → list
Anyone with details about McDonnell's current whereabouts is asked to notify their regional FBI office or the closest American Embassy or Consulate. asserted
Anyone → ask → office
Alternatively, individuals can call the FBI's toll-free line at 1-80-ALL- FBI or submit information online at tips.fbi.gov. asserted
individuals → call → tips.fbi.gov
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