A 41-year-old American woman was arrested in Jamaica and extradited to the United States for her alleged role in a $32 million COVID-19 relief fund fraud. She was arrested by the FBI upon arrival in Miami, Florida the Department of Justice announced Sunday.
The woman has been identified as Elaine Angene Escoe. She is making headlines now for being on the FBI's "Most Wanted Fraudsters" list even as he faces charges of wire fraud and money laundering conspiracies. She also faces charges of concealment of money laundering and transactional money laundering.
Elaine Angene Escoe is the latest in the case, with four arrests and convictions having already taken place in a 2025 trial. The arrest of Escoe, however, has sparked a lot of interest in her and how she made it into the FBI's "Most Wanted Fraudsters" list. Let's take a look at how she made it into the notorious list.
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Who Is Elaine Angene Escoe? Here's What We Know
According to DOJ prosecutors, Elaine Angene Escoe, along with 40 others, allegedly siphoned off millions of dollars from the federal government's COVID-19 relief programs, such as Paycheck Protection Program, Economic Injury Disaster Loans, Restaurant Revitalization Fund, and Shuttered Venue Operators Grant.
{{/usCountry}}According to DOJ prosecutors, Elaine Angene Escoe, along with 40 others, allegedly siphoned off millions of dollars from the federal government's COVID-19 relief programs, such as Paycheck Protection Program, Economic Injury Disaster Loans, Restaurant Revitalization Fund, and Shuttered Venue Operators Grant.
{{/usCountry}}According to the DOJ, Escoe and her associates submitted over 90 fraudulent applications under the four programs mentioned above. The applications were deemed fraudulent as they allegedly contained false information on revenue, employee counts and even payroll expenses.
The Department of Justice said that as a result of the fraudulent applications, a total of $32 million- $29.1 million in PPP funds, $1.2 million in RRF funds, and $3.8 million in SVOG funds- was disbursed to Elaine Angene Escoe and her associates.
The money received from the federal government as part of the COVID-19 relief programs were disbursed to the associates of their other business. Subsequently, the DOJ alleges that large sums were withdrawn and various illegal tricks were used to conceal where the funds originated.
“This Most Wanted Fraudster allegedly obtained tens of millions in COVID-19 relief, stealing critical resources from legitimate businesses during a national crisis,” a quote from Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche included the DOJ's statement read.
“She fled the country believing she could escape justice but ultimately could not. Those who exploit taxpayer-funded programs will be held accountable by this Department of Justice, no matter how long it takes or where they attempt to hide.”
Alfred Davis, Cher Davis, Latoya Clark, James McGhow and Gino Jourdan were the other associates of Escoe convicted in the case.