Who is Elaine Angene Escoe? Woman on FBI's ‘Most Wanted Fraudsters’ list over $32M COVID relief fraud arrested

Elaine Angene Escoe was arrested in Jamaica and extradited to the U.S., arriving in Miami, Florida, for her alleged role in a $32 million COVID-19 relief fraud.

Escoe and 40 others are accused of submitting over 90 fraudulent applications to the Paycheck Protection Program, Economic Injury Disaster Loans, Restaurant Revitalization Fund, and Shuttered Venue Operators Grant.

The fraudulent applications contained false information on revenue, employee counts, and payroll expenses, leading to $32 million in disbursements including $29.1 million in PPP funds, $1.2 million in RRF funds, and $3.8 million in SVOG funds.

Escoe faces charges of wire fraud and money laundering conspiracies, concealment of money laundering, and transactional money laundering.

The FBI listed Escoe on its 'Most Wanted Fraudsters' list; four others have already been arrested and convicted in a 2025 trial.