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Federal authorities have launched a manhunt for Mary Carole McDonnell, the former chief executive of Bellum Entertainment, a television production company known for true-crime programming and home renovation content. Prosecutors allege McDonnell engineered an elaborate scheme involving fabricated financial documents and false claims about access to an $80 million trust fund to defraud multiple financial institutions.
According to the FBI, McDonnell obtained approximately $14.7 million from Banc of California between July 2017 and May 2018 by posing as an heir to the McDonnell Aircraft family fortune. Investigators say she used fraudulent trust-company documents to secure the loan while knowing she had no legal claim to the funds and had no intention of repaying them.
A federal arrest warrant was issued December 12, 2018, in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California on five counts of bank fraud and two counts of aggravated identity theft. The FBI believes McDonnell is currently located in Dubai and has described her as a white female, 5 feet 7 inches tall, weighing 145 pounds, with blonde hair, blue eyes, and a scar on her right knee.
Antonio Sabato Jr., who hosted Bellum’s syndicated home makeover series “Fix It & Finish It,” said he learned of the accusations only when contacted by reporters. Sabato, who served as host, creator, and producer of the show, stated he had no involvement in the company’s financial operations and received no prior warning from federal investigators.
Sabato described the renovation program as physically demanding work that transformed families’ homes and lives while traveling city to city. He reflected on the show’s abrupt cancellation, saying the sudden termination now made sense in light of the company’s underlying financial crisis stemming from McDonnell’s alleged misconduct.
The FBI estimates McDonnell defrauded additional financial institutions of more than $15 million through similar deceptive methods. The bureau has urged anyone with information regarding McDonnell’s whereabouts to contact their local FBI office or the nearest American embassy or consulate.
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