Prosecutors have charged Escoe with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and several counts of money laundering. Authorities claim she worked alongside five co-defendants in a sophisticated operation that targeted federal relief programs between May 2020 and November 2021, submitting dozens of fraudulent applications in an effort to obtain taxpayer-funded assistance.
Investigators allege the group filed more than 90 fraudulent applications through several of the government’s largest pandemic aid programs. Those programs included the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL), the Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF), and the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG).
According to the FBI, the applications falsely represented critical financial information, including employee counts, payroll expenses, business revenues, and other eligibility requirements. Prosecutors argue those false statements enabled the defendants to obtain millions of dollars that should have gone to legitimate businesses struggling during the pandemic.
Authorities estimate the alleged conspiracy resulted in approximately $29.1 million in fraudulent PPP loans, another $1.2 million through the Restaurant Revitalization Fund, and roughly $3.8 million from the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant program. In total, investigators say the scheme improperly secured more than $32 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds.
After the money was distributed, prosecutors allege the defendants moved the proceeds through numerous financial transactions designed to disguise where the funds originated. According to court filings, Escoe and her associates allegedly transferred money among themselves and businesses they controlled, withdrew significant amounts of cash, and relied on blank signed checks to conceal the source and movement of the funds.
Federal prosecutors have already secured convictions against the remaining members of the alleged conspiracy. Officials say all five of Escoe’s co-defendants have either pleaded guilty or were convicted at trial, leaving Escoe as the final suspect to be brought before a U.S. court.
Court records show that a federal arrest warrant for Escoe was issued on May 22, 2025, by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida in West Palm Beach. Although she had been notified of a scheduled court appearance on June 5, 2025, investigators say she failed to appear. Authorities determined she was last seen in Palm Beach County on June 3, 2025, shortly before leaving the United States.
Investigators later discovered that Escoe had traveled to Jamaica, where authorities say she was living under the assumed name “Harley Newman.” The breakthrough reportedly came after the FBI received a tip identifying her whereabouts. Jamaican law enforcement then located and arrested her before coordinating her return to the United States.
Court documents paint a picture of someone who once appeared to have a promising future. Records indicate Escoe immigrated from Jamaica to South Florida at the age of nine, graduated from Olympic Heights High School in Boca Raton with a 3.8 GPA, and later earned degrees in psychology and finance from Lynn University.
Despite that background, investigators say she became one of the nation’s most wanted fraud fugitives. The FBI had previously placed Escoe on its Most Wanted Fraudsters list and offered a reward of up to $150,000 for information leading to her arrest and conviction.
FBI Director Kash Patel highlighted the significance of the arrest, describing Escoe as the fourth fugitive captured from the bureau’s Most Wanted Fraudsters list within a five-week span.
He stated that “the FBI and its partners have returned more than 30 high-value targets to the United States since June,” and noted that “the four suspects apprehended in the recent period face collective charges involving nearly $1.8 billion in alleged fraud after spending more than 3,500 days on the run across three continents.”
The latest arrest marks another major development in the federal government’s ongoing effort to pursue individuals accused of exploiting pandemic relief programs. As prosecutors continue recovering stolen taxpayer dollars and bringing fugitives back to face justice, officials say the investigation serves as a reminder that even suspects who flee overseas remain subject to capture and prosecution.
