Jamaican woman from South Florida added to FBI’s most wanted fraudsters list

A Jamaican-born woman has been named by the Federal Bureau of Investigation as one of its “Most Wanted Fraudsters” in connection with an alleged multimillion-dollar scheme involving fraudulent COVID-19 relief applications.

Elaine Angene Escoe, also known by the aliases “Annie” and “Annie Palmer,” is wanted on federal charges including conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, concealment money laundering, and transactional money laundering. Authorities say she played a central role in a coordinated effort to fraudulently obtain more than $32 million in pandemic relief funds.

According to federal investigators, Escoe and five co-defendants allegedly submitted more than 90 fraudulent applications between May 2020 and November 2021. The applications targeted multiple U.S. pandemic assistance programs, including the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL), the Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF), and the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG).

Prosecutors allege the applications contained false information about employee numbers, payroll expenses, and business revenues in order to qualify for funding that the applicants were not entitled to receive. In total, authorities say the scheme resulted in the disbursement of approximately $29.1 million in PPP funds, $1.2 million from the RRF, and $3.8 million through SVOG grants.

Federal officials further allege that once the funds were disbursed, Escoe and others moved quickly to conceal and distribute the proceeds. This included transferring money among co-conspirators, directing payments to businesses they controlled, withdrawing large amounts of cash, and using signed blank checks to obscure the origin of the funds.

A federal arrest warrant was issued for Escoe on May 22, 2025, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida in West Palm Beach. She was notified of a scheduled court appearance on June 5, 2025, but failed to appear. Investigators say she was last seen in Palm Beach County, Florida, on June 3, 2025.

At the time the warrant was issued, authorities warned that Escoe should be considered a fugitive. The FBI is offering a reward of up to $150,000 for information leading to her arrest and conviction.

Escoe is described as being born November 15, 1984, in Jamaica. She is approximately 5 feet 4 inches tall, weighs about 140 pounds, and has black hair and brown eyes. Authorities also note she has multiple tattoos, including markings on her left wrist, abdomen, back, and right shoulder.

Federal prosecutors say Escoe and her co-defendants have already seen several related convictions or guilty pleas as the broader investigation continues to move through the court system. Officials allege the group’s actions were part of a wider fraud network that exploited emergency pandemic funding programs established to support struggling businesses during the COVID-19 crisis.

The case underscores the ongoing scrutiny of pandemic relief programs, which distributed trillions of dollars in emergency aid across the United States and have since been the subject of widespread fraud investigations.

The FBI continues to urge anyone with information on Escoe’s whereabouts to come forward as the search for her continues.