Florida woman arrested in Jamaica for $34M COVID relief fraud scheme
Elaine Escoe, 41, was captured in Jamaica and extradited to South Florida after making the FBI's Most Wanted Fraudsters list. She faces charges linked to a $34M COVID-19 relief fraud scheme.
Florida fugitive nabbed in Jamaica over $34 million COVID fraud
A South Florida woman wanted in connection with a $34 million COVID-19 relief funds fraud scheme has been arrested in Jamaica and returned to the United States to face federal charges, fincrimecentral.com reports.
Elaine Angene Escoe, 41, was captured by Jamaican authorities acting on information developed by the FBI, before being extradited to South Florida. She faces multiple charges, including conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, wire fraud, concealment of money laundering, and transactional money laundering.
Escoe was among the first eight fugitives placed on the FBI's newly announced "Most Wanted Fraudsters" list, introduced by FBI Director Kash Patel in June. The Bureau had offered a reward of up to $150,000 for information leading to her arrest and conviction.
She was last seen in Palm Beach County on 3 June 2025, and had been due in court two days later but failed to appear. A federal arrest warrant had been issued on 22 May 2025.
According to federal investigators, Escoe and co-conspirators submitted more than 90 fraudulent applications for pandemic relief funds between May 2020 and November 2021. The applications targeted multiple federal programmes, including the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL), the Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF), and the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG).
The applications allegedly contained false information regarding employee headcounts, payroll expenses, and business revenues. The scheme resulted in the wrongful disbursement of approximately $29.1 million in PPP funds, $1.2 million in RRF funds, and $3.8 million in SVOG funds.
Following disbursement, Escoe and others allegedly directed payments to each other and to businesses they controlled, withdrew large sums in cash, and used blank, signed cheques to obscure the origin and nature of the proceeds.
Escoe was identified as the final defendant charged in the scheme. Following a 2025 federal trial, co-defendants Alfred Davis, Cher Davis, and Latoya Clark were convicted by a jury. James McGhow and Gino Jourdan had previously entered guilty pleas.
Alfred Davis was sentenced to 235 months in prison, Cher Davis to 87 months, Clark to 70 months, Jourdan to 46 months, and McGhow to 42 months.
Source: Google News JM — Crime