A Jamaican woman is wanted by the FBI in the United States for her alleged role in a US$34 million COVID-19 relief funds fraud scheme.

She has been identified as 40-year-old Elaine Angene Escoe, otherwise known as “Annie” or “Annie Palmer, who FBI officials say was last seen in Palm Beach County, Florida, on June 3, 2025.

It is alleged that Escoe and others submitted more than 90 fraudulent applications for funds from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL), Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF), and Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG) between May of 2020, and November of 2021.

The applications allegedly contained false information regarding employee counts, payroll expenses, and business revenues. The scheme resulted in the wrongful disbursement of approximately $29.1 million in PPP funds, $1.2 million in RRF funds, and $3.8 million in SVOG funds, according to the FBI.

It is further alleged that after the funds were disbursed, Escoe and others 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.
Escoe faces multiple charges including conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, wire fraud, concealment of money laundering and transactional money laundering.

A federal arrest warrant was issued for Escoe on May 22, 2025. According to the FBI, she was notified of her scheduled court appearance for June 5, but failed to appear.