The United States (US) Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is offering a US$150,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of a Jamaican woman said to have been involved in a US$32 million COVID funds fraud scheme.

Wanted by US authorities for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering in connection with the scheme is Elaine Angene Escoe.

The FBI says Escoe and her five co-defendants, all of whom have either been found guilty at trial or have pleaded guilty, allegedly 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 contained false information regarding employee counts, payroll expenses, and business revenues.  The scheme resulted in the wrongful disbursement of approximately US$29.1 million in PPP funds, US$1.2 million in RRF funds, and US$3.8 million in SVOG funds.

After the funds were disbursed, Escoe and others allegedly 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.

A federal arrest warrant was issued for the woman on May 22, 2025 in Florida, after she was charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud; conspiracy to commit money laundering; wire fraud; concealment money laundering, and transactional money laundering.

READ: Jamaican woman wanted by FBI in US$34 million COVID relief funds scam

At the time the arrest warrant was issued, the FBI says, Escoe was notified of her scheduled court appearance on June 5, 2025, but failed to appear.

Escoe was last seen on June 3, 2025, in Palm Beach County, Florida and is considered a flight risk by the agency.