FBI Returns $32 Million COVID Fraud Fugitive Elaine Escoe From Jamaica as 4th Most Wanted Capture
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Jul 25
FBI Returns $32 Million COVID Fraud Fugitive Elaine Escoe From Jamaica as 4th Most Wanted Capture
1 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jul 25
Summary
Elaine Angene Escoe, 41, arrived in South Florida on Thursday after Jamaican authorities arrested her and sent her back to the U.S. to face federal COVID-19 fraud charges.
Prosecutors say Escoe helped obtain more than $32 million in taxpayer-funded relief money, then fled after missing a May 2025 court appearance; investigators found her in Jamaica using the alias Harley Newman.
The 2025 indictment includes conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering and multiple money-laundering counts, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office in South Florida.
Kash Patel called the arrest the FBI's fourth 'Most Wanted Fraudster' capture in five weeks; those four suspects are collectively charged with nearly $1.8 billion in fraud after more than 3,500 days on the run.
The case is part of a broader international fraud crackdown that Patel said has brought more than 30 high-value targets back to the United States since June.