Related videos:
Elaine Angene Escoe, 41 years old and originally from Jamaica, has been added to the new "Most Wanted Frauds" list by the FBI for her alleged involvement in a $34 million fraud scheme against federal COVID-19 assistance programs, authorities reported on Monday.
The FBI is offering a reward of up to $150,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of Escoe, a resident of Palm Beach County and one of the first eight individuals to be included in this new category announced by FBI Director Kash Patel.
The «Most Wanted Fraudsters» list was presented last Wednesday, June 4, in Columbus, Ohio, in the presence of Patel and the Acting Attorney General, Todd Blanche.
According to Miami Herald, this list becomes the third official category of the FBI, alongside the historic list of the Ten Most Wanted and the Most Wanted Terrorists list. The eight initial cases represent losses ranging from $1.2 million to $1.2 billion.
The scheme: over 90 fraudulent applications
Between May 2020 and November 2021, Escoe and five other co-defendants submitted more than 90 fraudulent applications for federal funds from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), Economic Injury Disaster Loans, the Restaurant Revitalization Fund, and the Closed Venue Operators Grant.
The applications contained false information about the number of employees, payroll expenses, and the revenues of the companies, as well as fabricated tax documents and bank statements.
The scheme resulted in the improper disbursement of approximately $29.1 million in PPP funds, $1.2 million in Restaurant Revitalization Fund funds, and $3.8 million in funds from the Grant for Closed Venue Operators.
After receiving the funds, Escoe and his co-defendants allegedly exchanged payments among themselves, withdrew large sums of cash, and used signed blank checks to conceal the origin of the money.
The six defendants of the grand jury
A grand jury formally charged six individuals for operating the scheme in Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties.
In the group, besides Escoe, there are:
-Alfred L. Davis, 51 years old.
-Gino J. Jourdan, 37 years old.
-Cher L. Davis, 53.
-Latoya T. Clark, 39
-James G. McGhow, from 69.
Escoe faces charges of conspiracy to commit electronic fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, electronic fraud, concealment related to money laundering, and transactional money laundering.
Fugitive since June 2025
A federal arrest warrant was issued for Escoe on May 22, 2025, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida in West Palm Beach.
She was last seen in Palm Beach County on June 3, 2025, and was scheduled to appear in court two days later, but she never showed up.
Escoe uses the aliases "Annie" and "Annie Palmer."
South Florida, the epicenter of pandemic fraud
The Escoe case was initially connected through the investigation of Andre Lorquet, who used his company Miami ENT to obtain $4.4 million in fraudulent pandemic loans, spending over $600,000 on two Teslas, a Lamborghini Urus, and a Porsche Panamera GTS.
In the Lorquet ruling in 2024, federal prosecutor Jonathan Bailyn was emphatic:
"We were in the midst of a pandemic and a national crisis. Many people saw this as an opportunity for charity; this defendant saw it as an opportunity for exploitation and theft." Lorquet was sentenced to six years in federal prison.
Nationwide, federal prosecutors have charged over 3,200 defendants for stealing more than $1.7 billion from pandemic loan programs.
Southern Florida is the most affected region in the country, with over 250 indicted individuals, according to the Department of Justice. Anyone with information about Escoe can contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov.
Filed under: