Elaine Angene Escoe Lands on FBI’s Most Wanted List Over Alleged COVID Fraud Scheme
- F.I. Editorial Team
- May 26
- 3 min read
Elaine Angene Escoe is wanted by the FBI for her alleged role in a multimillion-dollar COVID-19 relief fraud scheme involving PPP, EIDL, Restaurant Revitalization Fund, and Shuttered Venue Operators Grant applications. Her case stands out because she is one of the first known individuals connected to COVID relief fraud to appear on the FBI’s Most Wanted White Collar Crimes list.
A COVID Fraud Case Moves to the FBI’s Most Wanted List
Years after the federal government launched pandemic relief programs to help businesses survive COVID-19, some fraud cases are still unfolding.
One of the most notable is the case of Elaine Angene Escoe, who is now listed on the FBI’s Most Wanted White Collar Crimes page. Escoe, also known by the aliases “Annie” and “Annie Palmer,” is wanted for her alleged role in a conspiracy involving wire fraud and money laundering tied to federal COVID-19 relief funds.
According to the FBI, Escoe and others allegedly submitted more than 90 fraudulent applications between May 2020 and November 2021. Those applications allegedly targeted several major pandemic relief programs, including the Paycheck Protection Program, Economic Injury Disaster Loans, the Restaurant Revitalization Fund, and the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant program.
The FBI says the alleged scheme resulted in more than $34 million in fraudulently obtained relief funds.
Why Her Placement on the FBI List Matters
There have been many COVID fraud cases since 2020, but most have appeared as criminal complaints, indictments, plea agreements, or sentencing announcements. Escoe’s case is different because it has moved into a more public fugitive category.
Her appearance on the FBI’s Most Wanted White Collar Crimes list puts the case in a different spotlight. For a COVID fraud defendant to appear there is unusual and notable.
Escoe appears to be one of the first known individuals tied to COVID-19 relief fraud to be listed by the FBI in this most-wanted white-collar category. That does not mean she has been convicted. It does mean federal authorities are actively seeking her and have elevated the case to a national public notice.
What Elaine Angene Escoe Is Accused Of
The FBI alleges that Escoe participated in a scheme that used false information to obtain pandemic relief funds. The alleged applications included misrepresentations related to payroll, revenue, employee counts, and business activity.
According to the FBI, the alleged fraud included approximately:
$29.1 million in wrongful PPP fund disbursements, $1.2 million in Restaurant Revitalization Fund disbursements, $3.8 million in Shuttered Venue Operators Grant disbursements
The FBI also alleges that funds were moved between individuals and companies connected to the scheme, with large cash withdrawals and blank signed checks used to conceal the source and ownership of the money.
That is why the charges go beyond application fraud. Escoe is wanted on charges that include conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, wire fraud, concealment of money laundering, and transactional money laundering.
Failure to Appear and Fugitive Status
According to the FBI, a federal arrest warrant was issued for Escoe on May 22, 2025, in the Southern District of Florida.
The FBI says Escoe was notified of a scheduled court appearance on June 5, 2025, but failed to appear. She was last seen on June 3, 2025, in Palm Beach County, Florida.
The FBI also notes that Escoe has ties to South Florida and Jamaica and should be considered a flight risk.
That fugitive status is a major reason this case now appears on the FBI’s Most Wanted White Collar Crimes page. The government is not only prosecuting the underlying allegations; it is also seeking public assistance in locating her. She’s described as 5'4", 140 pounds, with black hair, brown eyes, and distinctive tattoos on her left wrist, stomach, back, and right shoulder.
