Jamaican FBI Most-Wanted fraudster pleads not guilty in $32M fraud case
Key Points(5)
- A Jamaican-born South Florida woman who was captured in Jamaica after being placed on the FBI’s Most Wanted Fraudsters list pleaded not guilty Monday to federal charges stemming from an alleged scheme to fraudulently obtain more than $32 million in COVID-19 relief funds.
- Elaine Angene Escoe, 41, appeared in federal court Aug.
- 10 for her arraignment before Magistrate Judge Brandy Brentari Galler, according to court records.
- Escoe waived a formal reading of the indictment, entered a plea of not guilty and demanded a jury trial.
- The proceeding lasted about seven minutes.
A Jamaican-born South Florida woman who was captured in Jamaica after being placed on the FBI’s Most Wanted Fraudsters list pleaded not guilty Monday to federal charges stemming from an alleged scheme to fraudulently obtain more than $32 million in COVID-19 relief funds.
Elaine Angene Escoe, 41, appeared in federal court Aug. 10 for her arraignment before Magistrate Judge Brandy Brentari Galler, according to court records.
Escoe waived a formal reading of the indictment, entered a plea of not guilty and demanded a jury trial. The proceeding lasted about seven minutes.
The judge also granted a standing discovery order requiring prosecutors and the defense to exchange information and comply with criminal discovery rules in the Southern District of Florida. Motions involving matters not covered by the order generally must be filed within 28 days.
Escoe’s arraignment comes weeks after authorities said she was captured in Jamaica and returned to South Florida to face prosecution.
She was returned to the United States on July 25 after Jamaican authorities took her into custody following a tip about her whereabouts, according to federal authorities.
Escoe had been added to the FBI’s Most Wanted Fraudsters list as investigators searched for her in connection with an alleged scheme involving more than $32 million in federal pandemic relief funds. The FBI had offered a reward of up to $150,000 for information leading to her arrest and conviction.
Federal prosecutors allege Escoe and other members of the group submitted fraudulent applications to obtain money through several federal COVID-19 relief programs, including the Paycheck Protection Program, Restaurant Revitalization Fund, Shuttered Venue Operators Grant and Economic Injury Disaster Loan program.
Investigators allege the applications contained fabricated tax documents, falsified banking records and false information about businesses seeking relief.
According to prosecutors, some of the businesses were controlled by members of the alleged group, while other applicants paid kickbacks of as much as 50% of the relief funds they received.
Authorities allege the proceeds were subsequently moved among members of the group as part of a money-laundering operation.
Escoe faces charges including conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, wire fraud, concealment of money laundering and transactional money laundering.
Federal authorities say Escoe became a fugitive after failing to appear for a court proceeding in 2025. A federal arrest warrant was issued in May 2025, and investigators said she was last seen in Palm Beach County before leaving the United States.
The FBI later placed her on its Most Wanted Fraudsters list. Authorities said a tip eventually led investigators to Jamaica, where she was taken into custody before being returned to the Southern District of Florida.
Several other defendants linked to the alleged scheme have already pleaded guilty or been convicted, according to federal authorities. Prosecutors have described Escoe as the last remaining defendant charged in the case.
Her case will now proceed toward a jury trial. No trial date had been listed in Monday’s court filing.
Escoe is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
