Woman who documented murderers and con artists all her life just hit the FBI most wanted list

The producer of several major true crime shows, Mary Carole McDonnell, has officially been added to the FBI’s Most Wanted List this month after allegedly conning banks out of a massive $30 million and then vanishing for seven years. It’s a truly wild story where the person who made a living documenting murderers and financial schemers became a top-tier fugitive herself.

McDonnell, a Michigan native, was the former CEO of Bellum Entertainment Group, a company that specialized in syndicated true crime content. If you’re a fan of the genre, you might recognize some of the shows she produced, including I Married a Murderer, Corrupt Crimes, Bizarre Murders, It Takes a Killer, and Murderous Affairs. It’s deeply ironic that the woman running a company built on expert analysis of criminal behavior is now the subject of her own investigation.

This wasn’t some petty larceny, either. According to the FBI, McDonnell allegedly posed as an heiress to the famous McDonnell Aircraft Family. She reportedly told people she had a secret, massive trust fund worth tens of millions of dollars, claiming she was the heir to the McDonnell Douglas Aircraft Corporation, per Bro Bible.

True crime is a profitable thing

I can’t believe how much money she managed to pull in based on this alleged lie. She somehow convinced the Banc of California to hand over $14.7 million. Then, she successfully pulled the same scam at other banks, scoring another $15 million. You’re talking about $30 million total, which is an astronomical amount of money to steal just by claiming to be a secret heiress. The FBI also states that she defrauded not just banks, but also cast members and even members of her own family.

The whole house of cards started to crumble back in 2017. McDonnell and Bellum Entertainment Group first came under scrutiny from the California Labor Commission that year. The commission was looking into serious allegations that the company had failed to pay wages to dozens of former workers. This included former police officers and FBI agents who had appeared on her various crime programs as experts.

When the company’s financial issues went public, McDonnell reportedly told her employees that Bellum had been the victim of “significant bank fraud.” That excuse didn’t fly with everyone, though. Her nephew, who had served as the company’s vice president for a decade before quitting that summer, stated he was owed more than $10,000 and was completely “unaware of any bank fraud.” It certainly sounds like she was trying to pin the blame elsewhere.

Shortly after the scrutiny began, a federal grand jury indicted McDonnell on serious charges, including bank fraud and aggravated identity theft. A federal arrest warrant was issued, but by the time authorities moved in to arrest her, she had completely vanished. She’s been on the run for a shocking seven years now.

It’s unbelievable that someone could disappear for that long, especially after generating so much public interest through her work. The FBI hasn’t given up the search, though. They currently believe that Mary Carole McDonnell is living in Dubai, having initially fled the country to London.

It’s crazy to think that a true crime producer is now the subject of the ultimate true crime episode. This entire story is a perfect example of why you can’t trust everyone, even if they’re the ones making the shows about honesty and justice. Stealing $30 million and disappearing is a wild move, and she clearly wasn’t worried about getting caught when she pulled this incredibly brazen stunt. Hopefully, the FBI finds her soon.