Ex-Employee Exposes Mary Carole McDonell's Alleged Scam and Fraud Scheme

The Bridgewater Triangle Shoot

• 🎯 Aaron Cadieux was hired as the director of photography for Bellum Entertainment's show "Mysteries of the Unexplained" in 2017.
• 💰 He was contracted for a two-day shoot in Massachusetts concerning the Bridgewater Triangle, a topic he had previously documented.
• 💸 Cadieux was paid $500 upfront for his $2,500 worth of work, with the remaining balance due later.

Unpaid Wages and Investigation

• ⏳ As summer progressed, Cadieux did not receive the remaining $2,000 and faced repeated delays from Bellum.
• 🔍 By the fall, he began researching Bellum and discovered numerous other former employees and vendors who had also not been paid.
• 📰 An expose by CBS Los Angeles on Bellum's unpaid employees confirmed Cadieux's suspicions that he might not recover his money.

Creative Payment Strategy

• 💡 Frustrated and seeking payment, Cadieux decided to take an unconventional approach to get his money.
• 🌐 He purchased the domain name MaryCaroleMcDonell.com, which was available, and built a website on Wix.
• ⏰ Cadieux emailed Bellum, threatening to launch the website if he and other creditors were not paid by a specific deadline.

Resolution and Wider Fraud Allegations

• ✅ Bellum wired Cadieux his payment just before the deadline, but he decided to launch the website anyway to highlight the plight of others.
• ⚖️ He later received a poorly written email from Mary Carole McDonell's attorney threatening a lawsuit, leading Cadieux to relinquish the domain after consulting his own lawyer.
• 🏦 Cadieux believes McDonell was particularly concerned about her reputation at the time because she and her attorney were allegedly involved in defrauding the Bank of California for a significant sum.