True Crime Producer Mary McDonald: Fugitive Accused of $30 Million Fraud

Fugitive True Crime Producer

• 🕵️‍♀️ A 73-year-old former true crime producer, Mary Carol McDonald, is now a fugitive wanted by the FBI, believed to be hiding in the Middle East.
• 💰 She is accused of defrauding banks in California and hundreds of thousands of dollars from former employees, totaling nearly $30 million.

Deception and False Identity

• 👑 McDonald allegedly posed as a wealthy heiress, claiming to be an heir to the McDonald's family with access to an $80 million trust fund.
• ✨ She maintained an image of being impeccably dressed and exuding an air of superiority.

Production Company and Employee Fraud

• 🎬 McDonald previously served as CEO of Belem Entertainment, a defunct production company that produced shows like "I Married a Murderer."
• 💸 Former employees and producers, including Joshua Kaufman, are owed millions of dollars, with the company having faced accusations of failing to pay staff.

Victim Testimonies

• 🗣️ Former FBI Special Agent Bobby T. Cohn, who was a commentator on McDonald's shows, was defrauded of $36,000.
• 📉 Cohn describes individuals like McDonald as complex characters who build a "house of cards" that eventually collapses.

Current Whereabouts

• ✈️ McDonald is believed to have fled to London and is now thought to be in Dubai.
• 🔍 The FBI Los Angeles Bureau is actively pursuing her.