FBI Seeks Jamaican National in $34 Million Covid-19 Fraud Case

The FBI is on the hunt for a Jamaican national connected to a federal case involving a suspected $34 million Covid-19 relief fraud scheme.

Elaine Angen Escoe, a 40-year-old residing in Florida, has been added to the FBI’s most wanted list after failing to show up for a court hearing on June 5. A statement from the FBI highlighted her status in connection to the case.

Escoe faces serious charges, including wire fraud, money laundering, and conspiracy to commit money laundering, among others, as outlined in a press release from the bureau.

She is allegedly part of a group that filed more than 90 fraudulent applications for federal funds, specifically through programs like the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), Economic Injury and Disaster Loans (EIDL), and others between May 2020 and November 2021.

According to the FBI, these fraudulent applications included misleading information regarding business revenue and employee numbers. The situation resulted in nearly $29.1 million in fraudulent payments related to the PPP, which became a common target for scams during the pandemic.

After the funds were disbursed, Escoe and her associates reportedly directed their businesses to withdraw large sums in cash and used checks to obscure the actual source of the funds.

The EIDL program was designed to assist struggling small businesses and nonprofits with loans of up to $2 million. However, a 2021 report from the Small Business Administration (SBA) Inspectors suggested that foreign applicants might have received as much as $1.3 billion in Covid-19 funding.

Escoe was last spotted on June 3 in Palm Beach County, Florida, and the FBI is actively seeking tips about her current location. Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) has not responded to inquiries about Escoe’s immigration status at the time of this report.