PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. (CBS12) — She vanished days before court, and now the FBI says this woman from Palm Beach County may have stolen $34 million in pandemic aid.
The FBI Miami Field Office said it’s searching for Elaine Angene Escoe, 40, who is accused of masterminding a $34 million fraud scheme targeting federal COVID-19 relief programs.
Escoe was last seen in Palm Beach County on June 3, just days before she failed to appear for a scheduled court hearing on June 5, according to the news release. A federal arrest warrant was issued shortly after.
According to investigators, Escoe allegedly submitted more than 90 fraudulent applications between May 2020 and November 2021, siphoning millions from programs including the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL), Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF), and Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG). Authorities say she used false payroll data, inflated employee counts, and fabricated revenue figures to secure the funds…