Elaine Angene Escoe
The Federal Bureau of Investigations is continuing its search for a Jamaican woman accused of stealing millions of dollars worth of COVID-19 relief funds.
The FBI says Elaine Angene Escoe, who goes by the aliases Annie and Annie Palmer, is wanted for her role and involvement in a conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering in a scheme to obtain over $34 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds.
A federal arrest warrant was issued for Escoe on May 22 in the United States District Court, Southern District of Florida, West Palm Beach, after she was charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, wire fraud, concealment of money laundering, and transactional money laundering.
She was last seen on June 3 in Palm Beach County, Florida.
The FBI says Escoe and others reportedly submitted more than 990 fraudulent applications for funds from the Paycheck Protection Program, Economic Injury Disaster Loans, Restaurant Revitalization Fund and Shuttered Venue Operators Grant between May 2020 and November 2021.
According to the wanted announcement posted by the FBI, the applications reportedly contained false information regarding employee accounts, payroll expenses and business revenues.
After the funds were dispersed, Escoe and others alleged directed payments to each other and to businesses they controlled, withdrew large sums in cash and used blank signed checks to conceal the origin and nature of the proceeds.
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