EXCLUSIVE: Alleged $32M COVID-19 fraud fugitive captured in Jamaica and returned to US, FBI says

Elaine Angene Escoe was charged in a $32M COVID-19 pandemic relief fraud scheme allegedly involving wire fraud, money laundering

FIRST ON FOX: One of the FBI’s most wanted alleged COVID-19 fraud fugitives has been returned to the United States after authorities captured her in Jamaica.

FBI Director Kash Patel told Fox News Digital she had been living under the fake identity “Harley Newman” while evading charges tied to an alleged $32 million pandemic relief fraud scheme.

Elaine Angene Escoe, 41, arrived back in South Florida Thursday after Jamaican authorities arrested her after a federal manhunt. Prosecutors allege she helped fraudulently obtain more than $32 million in taxpayer-funded COVID-19 relief funds before fleeing the country after failing to appear in federal court.

Escoe was indicted in 2025 on charges including conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering and multiple counts of money laundering, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida.

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