Miami Woman Charged in $32M COVID Relief Fraud Scheme Captured in Jamaica Elaine Angene Escoe, 41, has been arrested in Jamaica and returned to South Florida to face federal charges related to her alleged role in a $32 million fraud scheme involving federal COVID-19 relief funds. Authorities announced her capture as part of the FBI’s “Most Wanted Fraudsters” initiative, which was launched in June 2026. Escoe, who had evaded authorities since May 2025, was apprehended after Jamaican officials acted on FBI-provided information. She is now set to stand trial on multiple charges, including conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, wire fraud, concealment of money laundering, and transactional money laundering. The FBI had previously offered a reward of up to $150,000 for information leading to her arrest and conviction. Escoe was last seen in Palm Beach County on June 3, 2025, and had been scheduled to appear in court two days later but failed to show up. A federal arrest warrant was issued for her on May 22, 2025. Her arrest marks the conclusion of a multi-year investigation into a scheme that allegedly involved submitting over 90 fraudulent applications for funds from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL), Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF), and Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG) between May 2020 and November 2021. Federal investigators stated that Escoe and others provided false information regarding employee counts, payroll expenses, and business revenues to secure the funds. 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.#fbi #elaine_angene_escoe #paycheck_protection_program #economic_injury_disaster_loans #restaurant_revitalization_fund
