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The Finance Base
Banc of California

FBI Alleges Woman Claimed to Be Heiress in Nearly $30 Million Bank Fraud Case

The FBI alleges a California bank-fraud scheme involving a false heiress claim, about $14.7 million from Banc of California, and more than $15 million in estimated losses at other institutions. The allegations are not a conviction.

By TheFinanceBase Team 2 min read
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The FBI alleges that Mary Carole McDonnell obtained about $14.7 million from Banc of California and caused more than $15 million in estimated losses at other financial institutions by claiming she was an heir with access to an $80 million secret trust. The figures describe allegations in an FBI wanted notice, not a conviction or a court finding of guilt.

How the alleged scheme worked

According to the FBI, McDonnell falsely claimed to be an heir to the McDonnell Aircraft family and to have access to an $80 million secret trust. The FBI says she used that representation in an alleged scheme to obtain money, funds, assets, and property belonging to Banc of California. The notice describes the trust as part of her alleged claim; it does not establish that such a trust existed.

The FBI says McDonnell allegedly knew she was not entitled to the Banc of California funds and had not repaid them. Its wanted notice does not provide further transaction-level detail about how the funds were obtained.

What the FBI alleges about the money

The FBI places the alleged scheme in Los Angeles and Orange Counties, California, from approximately July 2017 through May 2018. Its notice gives two separate loss figures:

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  • About $14.7 million: the amount the FBI says McDonnell allegedly obtained from Banc of California.
  • More than $15 million: the FBI’s estimated losses at additional financial institutions allegedly defrauded in a similar way.

These are estimates and allegations reported by the FBI, not amounts established by a trial or final court judgment. The notice does not provide a combined adjudicated loss total.

Charges and warrant status

The FBI notice lists bank fraud and aggravated identity theft as the charges. It says a federal arrest warrant was issued on December 12, 2018, by the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California in Santa Ana. A wanted notice is not a court docket, and the information cited here does not establish a conviction or final adjudication.

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What the FBI says about McDonnell’s whereabouts

The FBI says it believes McDonnell is in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and asks anyone with information to contact a local FBI office or the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate. That is the agency’s stated belief; the notice does not independently confirm her current location.

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