FBI Offers Reward for Jamaican-Born Fraud Suspect

Authorities in the United States have placed a Jamaican-born woman on its list of top fugitives, linking her to an alleged large scale fraud operation targeting pandemic relief funds set up during the COVID-19 crisis.

Elaine Angene Escoe, also known as “Annie” and “Annie Palmer,” is the subject of a Federal Bureau of Investigation alert naming her among its “Most Wanted Fraudsters.” She faces charges including conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering offences.

Investigators allege Escoe was part of a group accused of exploiting emergency business support programmes introduced during the pandemic, including the Paycheck Protection Program, Economic Injury Disaster Loans, the Restaurant Revitalization Fund and the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant scheme.

Federal filings state that more than 90 applications were submitted between May 2020 and November 2021 using false details about payroll, employees and income. Authorities claim the filings secured about $32 million in relief funds, including $29.1 million from PPP loans, $1.2 million from restaurant relief funding and $3.8 million from venue grants.

Prosecutors allege that once funds were released, money was quickly moved through multiple channels to conceal its source, including transfers between associates, cash withdrawals and payments through businesses controlled by the group.

A federal arrest warrant was issued on May 22, 2025, by the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida. Escoe failed to appear for a scheduled court date on June 5, 2025 and was last seen in Palm Beach County on June 3, 2025.

The FBI has classified her as a fugitive and is offering a reward of up to $150,000 for information leading to her arrest.

Escoe was born on November 15, 1984, in Jamaica. She is approximately 5 feet 4 inches tall, weighs around 140 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes, and has tattoos on her wrist, abdomen, back and shoulder.

Federal prosecutors say several co-defendants have already pleaded guilty or been convicted as related cases progress. Investigators believe the group operated within a broader fraud network that exploited emergency relief programmes created during the pandemic.

The case is part of wider scrutiny of COVID-19 relief spending in the United States, where emergency assistance programmes have faced extensive fraud investigations.

Officials continue to seek public assistance as efforts to locate Escoe remain ongoing.

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