Palm Beach County resident Elaine Angene Escoe, 41, was arrested in Jamaica and returned to the United States to face federal charges for her alleged role in a scheme involving over $32 million in fraudulent COVID-19 relief funds, according to the U.S. Escoe's capture stems from a multi-agency operation involving the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Diplomatic Security Service, the Jamaica Constabulary Force, and the Jamaica Fugitive Apprehension Team.
Federal authorities filed a formal indictment in 2025, charging Escoe with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to money launder, and multiple substantive counts of both offenses. Court records show that a federal arrest warrant was issued on May 22, 2025. Escoe failed to appear for a scheduled court hearing on June 5 of that year and subsequently fled to Jamaica.
Fraudulent Relief Applications and Named Programs
Between May 2020 and November 2021, Escoe and her co-conspirators submitted more than 90 fraudulent applications for federal pandemic assistance, according to court documents filed in the U.S. The schemes targeted multiple relief programs established under federal legislation, including:
- The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), which accounted for approximately $29,1 millions de dollars of the fraudulent claims.
- The Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF), totaling about 1,2 million en RRF.
- The Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG), accounting for roughly 3,8 millions en SVOG.
- Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL).
Investigators stated that the applications relied on falsified metrics regarding employee counts, payroll expenses, and business revenue. Co-conspirators backed these claims with fabricated tax documents and manufactured bank statements, in some instances charging clients commissions of up to des commissions allant jusqu’à 50 % for securing funds on their behalf.
The FBI’s West Palm Beach resident agency of the FBI in Miami led the investigation, receiving assistance from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Miami and the State Attorney’s Office for the Palm Beach County Judicial Circuit.
FBI Most Wanted Listing and Co-Defendant Sentences
The FBI added Escoe to its “Most Wanted Fraudsters” list on June 8, 2026, after she spent months operating under the alias “Harley Newman” in Jamaica. FBI Director Kash Patel noted that Escoe represents the fourth fugitive apprehended within a five-week span under the bureau’s targeted fraud initiative.
“In only five weeks, we have arrested four people for combined charges of nearly $1,800 millions de dollars in fraud, who had in total more than 3,500 days of errancy, each hidden abroad,” Patel said in a statement.
Escoe is the only accused in this case who has not yet been tried. Five other individuals charged in connection with the scheme were prosecuted previously:
- Alfred Davis received a 235-month prison sentence following a trial verdict in December 2025.
- Cher Davis and Latoya Clark were tried alongside Alfred Davis and also convicted.
- James McGhow pleaded guilty prior to trial and received a 42-month sentence.
- Gino Jourdan pleaded guilty and received a 46-month sentence.
U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida emphasized that international flight does not shield suspects from prosecution. “Defendants cannot escape their responsibilities simply by leaving the country,” Quiñones said. “Thanks to the determined work of our federal, state, and international partners, she is back in south Florida and will now face the charges that pending against her.”
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