COVID relief fraudster caught in Ja, extradited to US

CMC:

A Jamaican woman who was on the United States (US) Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) Most Wanted Fraudster list has been extradited from Jamaica to face charges arising from an alleged scheme to fraudulently obtain more than US$32 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds.

Forty-one-year-old Elaine Angene Escoe was returned to South Florida on Saturday after being apprehended in Jamaica following a joint investigation by US and Jamaican law-enforcement authorities.

Escoe was indicted in 2025 on charges including conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and multiple counts of wire fraud and money laundering.

According to US authorities, she failed to appear in court after a federal arrest warrant was issued in May 2025 and fled to Jamaica, where she was later located by the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) acting on intelligence provided by the FBI.

Her return to the US was coordinated by the FBI, the US Marshals Service, the US Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service at the US Embassy in Kingston, the JCF, and the Jamaica Fugitive Apprehension Team.

Acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche said Escoe allegedly stole critical relief funds intended for legitimate businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“She fled the country believing she could escape justice, but ultimately could not. Those who exploit taxpayer-funded programmes will be held accountable … no matter how long it takes or where they attempt to hide,” Blanche said.

Assistant Attorney General Colin McDonald said Escoe’s arrest demonstrates that “no one is beyond the reach of American justice”.

False identity

FBI Director Kash Patel described the arrest as another success for the agency’s Most Wanted Fraudster initiative, noting that Escoe was captured in Jamaica while allegedly living under the false identity of ‘Harley Newman’.

Patel said Escoe is the fourth person on the FBI’s Most Wanted Fraudster list to be captured in the past five weeks and one of more than 30 high-value fugitives returned to the US since June.

According to court documents, Escoe and her alleged co-conspirators submitted fraudulent applications seeking more than US$32 million through several federal pandemic-relief programmes, including the Paycheck Protection Program, Restaurant Revitalization Fund, Shuttered Venue Operators Grant, and Economic Injury Disaster Loan programme.

Prosecutors allege that the applications falsely represented the existence, payrolls, revenues, and operations of businesses in order to qualify for federal assistance.

Investigators said the group created fake tax returns, fabricated bank records and other fraudulent financial documents to support the applications. Some claims were allegedly submitted for businesses controlled by the conspirators, while others were filed on behalf of third parties in exchange for kickbacks of up to 50 per cent of the loan proceeds.

The authorities allege that the funds were later laundered among members of the conspiracy.

Escoe is the final defendant charged in the case. Five of her alleged co-conspirators have already been convicted or pleaded guilty and are serving prison sentences ranging from 42 months to 235 months.