A Jamaican national accused of participating in a multimillion-dollar COVID-19 relief fraud scheme has been returned to the U.S. after authorities arrested her in Jamaica, federal officials announced.
Elaine Angene Escoe, 41, arrived in South Florida on Thursday following her arrest by Jamaican law enforcement, according to the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida.
Federal prosecutors have charged Escoe with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering and multiple counts of money laundering.
According to investigators, Escoe and five co-defendants allegedly submitted more than 90 fraudulent applications for federal pandemic relief programs between May 2020 and November 2021.
The applications sought funding through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program, Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF) and Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG) program.
Prosecutors allege the applications contained false information regarding employee counts, payroll expenses and business revenues.
Authorities said the alleged scheme resulted in approximately $29.1 million in PPP funds, $1.2 million in RRF funds and $3.8 million in SVOG funds being fraudulently obtained, totaling more than $32 million in federal relief money.
According to the FBI, Escoe and her alleged co-conspirators then transferred money among themselves and businesses they controlled, withdrew large amounts of cash and used blank signed checks in an effort to conceal the source of the proceeds.
Federal officials said all five of Escoe’s co-defendants have either pleaded guilty or been convicted at trial.
A federal arrest warrant was issued for Escoe on May 22, 2025, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.
Investigators said Escoe had been notified of a scheduled court appearance on June 5, 2025, but failed to appear. Authorities said she was last seen in Palm Beach County on June 3, 2025.
According to investigators, Escoe fled to Jamaica, where she allegedly lived under the assumed name “Harley Newman.”
The FBI said it eventually received a tip that led Jamaican authorities to locate and arrest her.
Court records indicate Escoe immigrated to South Florida from Jamaica at age 9. She later graduated from Olympic Heights High School in Boca Raton with a 3.8 grade-point average before earning degrees in psychology and finance from Lynn University, per Trending Politics.
The FBI had previously placed Escoe on its Most Wanted Fraudsters list and offered a reward of up to $150,000 for information leading to her arrest and conviction.
FBI Director Kash Patel said Escoe’s arrest marks the fourth capture from the FBI’s Most Wanted Fraudsters list in the past five weeks.
Patel added that the FBI and its law enforcement partners have returned more than 30 high-value fugitives to the U.S. since June. According to Patel, the four recently captured suspects collectively face allegations involving nearly $1.8 billion in fraud after spending more than 3,500 days as fugitives across three continents.
