A woman included on the FBI’s Most Wanted Fraudsters List has been returned to South Florida to face federal charges alleging she participated in a scheme that fraudulently obtained more than $32 million from COVID-19 relief programs.
Elaine Escoe, 41, arrived in the Southern District of Florida on Saturday following her capture in Jamaica, according to the Department of Justice. Federal authorities said she had been living under the assumed identity “Harley Newman.”
A federal grand jury indicted Escoe in 2025 on charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering and multiple counts of wire fraud and money laundering. Authorities said she failed to appear in court after a federal arrest warrant was issued in May 2025 and subsequently fled to Jamaica.
Jamaican authorities captured Escoe after receiving a tip developed from information gathered by the FBI. Her return involved the FBI, U.S. Marshals Service, State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service, U.S. Embassy in Kingston, Jamaican Constabulary Force and Jamaica Fugitive Apprehension Team.
According to court records, Escoe and her alleged co-conspirators submitted or caused others to submit fraudulent applications seeking more than $32 million through four federal pandemic-relief initiatives: the Paycheck Protection Program, Restaurant Revitalization Fund, Shuttered Venue Operators Grant program and Economic Injury Disaster Loan program.
Prosecutors allege the applications contained false information about purported businesses’ existence, payroll, revenue and operations. The conspirators allegedly supported the applications with fabricated tax documents, bank records and other financial materials.
Some applications involved businesses controlled by members of the group, while others were allegedly filed for third parties in exchange for kickbacks reaching as much as half of the resulting loan proceeds. Prosecutors contend the defendants subsequently laundered the proceeds among themselves.
“After being charged, she failed to appear in court and fled to Jamaica,” U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones said. “Defendants cannot escape accountability simply by leaving the country.”
Escoe is the final defendant charged in the alleged scheme whose case remains unresolved. A federal jury convicted Alfred Davis, Cher Davis and Latoya Clark following a December 2025 trial. James McGhow and Gino Jourdan pleaded guilty.
Alfred Davis received a 235-month prison sentence, while Cher Davis was sentenced to 87 months, Clark to 70 months, Jourdan to 46 months and McGhow to 42 months.
The FBI added Escoe to its Most Wanted Fraudsters List on June 8. She was apprehended less than two months later and was the fourth person on the list captured within five weeks, according to federal officials.
FBI Miami’s West Palm Beach Resident Agency is investigating the case with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations Miami and the Palm Beach County State Attorney’s Office.
An indictment contains allegations, and Escoe is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
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