Overview
- Authorities allege Banc of California lost about $14.7 million and other institutions lost more than $15 million in the scheme.
- Investigators say McDonnell posed as an heir to the McDonnell Aircraft family and claimed access to an $80 million secret trust to obtain funds.
- The alleged fraud occurred between July 2017 and May 2018 across Los Angeles and Orange counties.
- A federal indictment states some of the money was used to pay creditors and payroll at Bellum Entertainment, a now-defunct Burbank production company she led.
- The FBI describes her as 73 years old, 5 feet 7 inches tall, 145 pounds, with blond hair, blue eyes, and a scar on her right knee, and urges tips to any FBI office or the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate.