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3h ago

Fugitive Accused in $32 Million COVID Relief Fraud Captured in Jamaica and Returned to Florida

The arrest signals an intensified federal push to repatriate high-value overseas fraud suspects through the Most Wanted Fraudsters campaign.

A woman charged in a $32 million coronavirus pandemic relief fraud scheme has been captured in Jamaica where she was hiding out and returned to the United States.
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Overview

  • Federal and Jamaican authorities returned Elaine Angene Escoe to South Florida on Saturday after she was arrested in Jamaica where she had been living under the alias “Harley Newman.”
  • Escoe faces a 2025 indictment charging conspiracy to commit wire fraud, money laundering and multiple fraud counts tied to what prosecutors say was more than $32 million taken from PPP, RRF, SVOG and EIDL programs.
  • Prosecutors say the scheme used fabricated tax forms, fake bank records, false payroll claims and kickback arrangements that sometimes gave third parties up to half of loan proceeds before the money was laundered among conspirators.
  • Officials say Escoe became a fugitive after failing to appear in a May 2025 court hearing and was added to the FBI’s Most Wanted Fraudsters list in June, making her the fourth listed suspect captured in five weeks.
  • The return was led by a joint operation including the FBI, U.S. Marshals, Homeland Security Investigations, the State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service and the Jamaican Constabulary Force, and Escoe is scheduled for an initial magistrate appearance in the Southern District of Florida.