FBI Searches For Foreign National Allegedly Involved In $34 Million COVID-19 Relief Fraud Scheme

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) announced its search for a Jamaican national wanted on federal charges for her alleged involvement in a $34 million COVID-19 relief fraud scheme.

Florida-based 40-year-old Elaine Angene Escoe made the FBI’s most wanted list after failing to appear at a scheduled court hearing on June 5, according to a statement released by the bureau Friday. (RELATED: How Charlie Kirk’s Alleged Assassin Was Caught)

Escoe is charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, wire fraud, concealment of money laundering and transactional money laundering, according to the press release.

Escoe allegedly belongs to a crew that submitted more than 90 fraudulent applications for funds from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL), Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF) and Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG) between May 2020 and November 2021, according to the FBI’s poster.

Elaine Angene Escoe is wanted by the FBI for her alleged involvement in a conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering in connection with a scheme to fraudulently obtain over $34 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds between May of 2020, and November of 2021, in… pic.twitter.com/2u6AphVknY

— FBI Most Wanted (@FBIMostWanted) September 4, 2025

The applications allegedly included false information ranging from business revenues to employee counts, according to the FBI.

The alleged scheme resulted in the wrongful disbursement of nearly $29.1 million in PPP funds —which served as a popular target for fraud following the pandemic — $1.2 million in RRF funds and $3.8 million in SVOG funds, the FBI’s poster stated.

“After the funds were disbursed, Escoe and others allegedly directed payments to each other and to businesses they controlled, withdrew large sums in cash, and used blank, signed checks to conceal the origin and nature of the proceeds,” the poster said.

The EIDL offered struggling small businesses and nonprofits up to $2 million in loans. However, applicants in foreign countries were potentially given up to $1.3 billion total in COVID-19 funding, according to a 2021 Small Business Association (SBA) inspector general report.

Escoe was last seen on June 3 near Palm Beach County, Florida, and the FBI is seeking information regarding her whereabouts.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has not responded to the Daily Caller’s request for Escoe’s immigration status as of publication.