The FBI Just Nabbed One of Its Most Wanted COVID Fraud Fugitives — and the Numbers Are Staggering

Elaine Angene Escoe, a 41-year-old Jamaican national, has been returned to the United States after her arrest in Jamaica on charges tied to a multimillion-dollar COVID-19 relief fraud scheme.

According to the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida, Escoe arrived in South Florida on Thursday following her capture by Jamaican authorities. She faces charges including conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and multiple counts of money laundering.

Prosecutors allege that between May 2020 and November 2021, Escoe and five co-defendants submitted more than 90 fraudulent applications under programs including the Paycheck Protection Program, Economic Injury Disaster Loans, the Restaurant Revitalization Fund, and the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant. The applications contained false information about employees, payroll, and revenues.

The scheme allegedly led to the wrongful disbursement of approximately $29.1 million in PPP funds, $1.2 million in RRF funds, and $3.8 million in SVOG funds — more than $32 million total. After the money was released, the group allegedly moved funds between themselves and controlled businesses, withdrew large amounts of cash, and used blank signed checks to conceal the proceeds.

All five co-defendants have either been convicted at trial or entered guilty pleas. A federal arrest warrant was issued for Escoe in May 2025 after she failed to appear for a court date and fled to Jamaica, where she lived under the assumed name “Harley Newman.”

The FBI had offered a reward of up to $150,000 for information leading to her capture and had placed her on its Most Wanted Fraudsters list. FBI Director Kash Patel noted this was the fourth capture from that list in a five-week period, with the recent arrests involving nearly $1.8 billion in alleged fraud.