A tip led authorities to arrest Elaine Escoe, a 41-year-old Florida resident, in Jamaica after she fled federal court proceedings involving a $32 million pandemic relief scheme.
Escoe was on the FBI's Most Wanted Fraudsters List. She was extradited to the Southern District of Florida on Saturday, July 25, 2026.
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Investigators said she fled the country after failing to appear for a scheduled court date following her initial arrest in May.
Federal prosecutors allege Escoe and her co-conspirators submitted over 90 fraudulent applications for pandemic assistance programs.
These included the Paycheck Protection Program, Restaurant Revitalization Fund, Shuttered Venue Operators Grant, and Economic Injury Disaster Loan program.
Court records indicate the group used falsified tax records, fabricated bank statements, and false business details to secure funds.
Officials stated some applications relied on fake entities, while others involved third parties who returned kickbacks of up to 50 percent.
The illicit proceeds were subsequently laundered among participants in the scheme.
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Escoe represents the final defendant charged in the case. Several co-conspirators have already been convicted, including Alfred Davis, who received a nearly 20-year federal prison sentence.
FBI Pursues Fugitives Internationally
"The FBI and our partners will continue to pursue fugitives wherever they go," U. S.
Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones said.
Reding Quiñones emphasized the reach of federal law enforcement regarding international fugitives.
"Defendants cannot escape accountability simply by leaving the country," he said.
According to the FBI, Escoe's capture marks the fourth arrest from its Most Wanted Fraudsters List in recent weeks.
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The case was investigated by the FBI's West Palm Beach Resident Agency alongside Homeland Security Investigations Miami and the Palm Beach County State Attorney's Office.
