FBI HUNT: Jamaican Woman Accused of Stealing $34M in COVID Relief Funds

The FBI is on the hunt for Elaine Angene Escoe, a Jamaican woman accused of masterminding a massive COVID-19 relief scam that siphoned tens of millions from programs meant to keep struggling Americans afloat during the pandemic.

According to federal investigators, Escoe and her co-conspirators filed nearly 1,000 fraudulent applications between May 2020 and November 2021, targeting the Paycheck Protection Program, Economic Injury Disaster Loans, the Restaurant Revitalization Fund, and the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant.

The scheme was breathtaking in scale. Authorities say Escoe’s crew pocketed over $34 million, with $29.1 million ripped from PPP loans alone. They allegedly padded applications with fake payrolls, inflated revenue numbers, and bogus employee counts. Once the funds were secured, prosecutors say, the crew funneled the cash into their own pockets — withdrawing huge amounts in cash, paying each other off, and even passing around blank, signed checks to mask where the money was really going.

The fallout is serious. A federal grand jury charged Escoe with wire fraud, money laundering, and conspiracy, leading to a federal arrest warrant issued in May 2025. But Escoe slipped away before authorities could catch her.

She was last seen June 3 in Palm Beach County, Florida, and may be hiding under the aliases “Annie” or “Annie Palmer.” The FBI says she is 5’4”, about 140 pounds, with brown eyes and several tattoos across her wrist, abdomen, back, and right shoulder.

While everyday families and small businesses were gasping for air during COVID lockdowns, the FBI says Escoe and her crew looted relief programs with criminal precision. Now she’s a fugitive, and the agency wants her caught.