An individual who is one of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) most wanted alleged COVID fraud fugitives has now been returned to the United States to face justice for her crimes after finally being apprehended in Jamaica. FBI Director Kash Patel spoke with Fox News and revealed the suspect had been living under a fake name, “Harley Newman,” while attempting to evade charges that connected her to an alleged $32 million pandemic relief fraud scheme.
The suspect, whose real name is Eliane Angene Escoe, 41, arrived in South Florida after Jamaican authorities took her into custody following a federal investigation that was launched to uncover her whereabouts. Prosecutors have accused Escoe of allegedly helping fraudulently obtain over $32 million in taxpayer-funded COVID relief before bolting out of the country.
Escoe was officially indicted in 2025 on numerous charges that included conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and several counts of money laundering, according to information released by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida. Federal prosecutors also revealed that a judge issued an arrest warrant after the suspect failed to appear in court in May 2025.
According to a report from Fox News, authorities stated that Escoe ran to Jamaica, where she was later found and arrested. “This Most Wanted Fraudster allegedly obtained tens of millions in COVID-19 relief, stealing critical resources from legitimate businesses during a national crisis,” acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said in an interview with Fox. “She fled the country believing she could escape justice but ultimately could not,” Blanche continued.
“Those who exploit taxpayer-funded programs will be held accountable by this Department of Justice, no matter how long it takes or where they attempt to hide,” he added. Patel referred to Escoe’s arrest as yet another major milestone in the bureau’s international fraud crackdown, stating that this marks the fourth alleged “Most Wanted Fraudster” that has been taken into custody over the last five weeks.
“The historic success of the ‘Most Wanted Fraudster’ list continues as the FBI, and our partners just captured our fourth Most Wanted Fraudster in 5 weeks, and yet another high value target returned to the U.S. by this FBI,” Patel went on to say. “Eliane Angene Escoe, on the run since May 2025, was captured in Jamaica while living under a fake identity of ‘Harley Newman’ — and returned to the United States today to face justice.”
Patel then said that Escoe was charged with being involved in a conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering by implementing a scheme that scammed American taxpayers out of $32 million in COVID relief funds. The director then said that the FBI has returned 30 high-value targets to the United States since June 2026.
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He added that four alleged fraud suspects were apprehended and charged with almost $1.8 billion in fraud after spending over 3,500 days running from authorities across three different continents. “Under this administration, fraud is no longer tolerated, and those who steal from American taxpayers have nowhere to hide,” Patel said. Authorities also told the media that Homeland Security Investigations, along with the U.S. Marshals Service, the FBI, and Jamaican law enforcement, coordinated Escoe’s capture and return to the United States.