Most wanted $32M COVID fraud suspect extradited to Florida after arrest in Jamaica
A woman on the FBI’s Most Wanted Fraudsters list was returned to South Florida on Saturday to face federal charges for her alleged role in a scheme that fraudulently took in more than $32 million in pandemic relief funds.
Elaine Escoe, 41, was indicted in 2025 on charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and multiple individual counts of wire fraud and money laundering. Federal authorities said Escoe fled to Jamaica in May 2025 after a warrant was issued and she failed to show up for a court appearance.
Jamaican law enforcement captured Escoe following a tip that she was living in the country under the alias “Harley Newman.” Her return to the United States was handled by the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service, the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, and the Jamaican Constabulary Force’s Fugitive Apprehension Team.
According to court filings, Escoe and her co-conspirators submitted fraudulent applications for over $32 million from several federal programs, including the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program, the Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF), and the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG).
Investigators said the group fabricated tax forms, bank records, and financial statements to lie about the existence, payroll, and revenue of various businesses. While some applications were submitted for companies controlled by the conspirators, others were filed for third parties in exchange for kickbacks that reached up to 50 percent of the loan proceeds. The money was then laundered among the group.
Escoe is the last remaining defendant charged in the case. Following a trial in December 2025, a federal jury convicted co-defendants Alfred Davis, Cher Davis, and Latoya Clark. Two other co-defendants, James McGhow and Gino Jourdan, previously pleaded guilty.
Judges sentenced Alfred Davis to 235 months in prison, Cher Davis to 87 months, and Clark to 70 months. Jourdan received a 46-month sentence, and McGhow received 42 months.
“Elaine Angene Escoe’s arrest and return to the United States demonstrates that no one is beyond the reach of American justice,” said Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald of the National Fraud Enforcement Division. “This Most Wanted Fraudster faces charges stemming from a multimillion-dollar scheme to defraud taxpayer-funded COVID-19 relief programs.”
FBI Director Kash Patel said Escoe was the fourth person on the agency’s Most Wanted Fraudster list captured over five weeks.
“Elaine Angene Escoe, on the run since May of 2025, was captured in Jamaica while living under a fake identity of ‘Harley Newman’ – and returned to the United States today to face justice,” Patel said. “She is charged for her alleged involvement in a conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering – connected with a scheme to fraudulently obtain over $32 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds.”
U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida noted that fleeing the country does not allow defendants to avoid prosecution.
“Thanks to the determined work of our federal, state, and international partners, she is back in South Florida and will now face the charges against her,” Quiñones said. “This coordinated effort demonstrates that we will pursue fugitives wherever they go and bring them back to face justice.”
The case is being investigated by FBI Miami’s West Palm Beach Resident Agency, with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations Miami and the Palm Beach County State Attorney’s Office.
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