(Gray News) – The FBI is looking for a woman who allegedly helped steal millions of dollars in COVID relief funds.
Elaine Angene Escoe is wanted for her alleged involvement in a conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering in connection with a scheme to fraudulently obtain over $34 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds.
Escoe is one of several people who allegedly submitted more than 90 fraudulent applications for funds from a number of programs, including the Paycheck Protection Program, between May 2020 and November 2021.
Once the money was disbursed, Escoe and the others involved 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 Escoe on May 22. She was charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, wire fraud, concealment money laundering and transactional money laundering.
Escoe was notified of her June 5 court appearance, but failed to appear.
She was last seen on June 3 in Palm Beach County, Florida.
Escoe, who has used the alias Annie Palmer, is a Jamaican national and has ties to the country, as well as southern Florida.
Escoe is 5 feet 4 inches tall and weighs 150 pounds. She has black hair and brown eyes. She has tattoos on her left wrist, abdomen, back and right shoulder.
Anyone with information about Escoe should call the FBI’s Toll-Free tipline at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324).
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