{"id":1541,"date":"2026-06-09T04:01:58","date_gmt":"2026-06-09T04:01:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/?p=1541"},"modified":"2026-06-09T04:01:58","modified_gmt":"2026-06-09T04:01:58","slug":"fbi-adds-palm-beach-woman-to-new-most-wanted-fraudsters-list-heres-why-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/?p=1541","title":{"rendered":"FBI adds Palm Beach woman to new Most Wanted Fraudsters list. Here\u2019s why"},"content":{"rendered":"<article><!-- --><!-- --><!-- WPS-5038 -- removed the script from WPS and added the placeholder for trinity player --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><\/p>\n<p><i><b>Editor&#8217;s Note: <\/b>Anyone with information concerning this case is urged to contact the FBI\u2019s Toll-Free tipline at 800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov.<\/i><\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/?p=1540\">Coast Guard rescues three from capsized boat off Florida Keys<\/a><\/p>\n<p><!-- CONTENT --><!--[--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>The Most Wanted Fraudsters list is the third official FBI list joining the existing Ten Most Wanted Fugitives and Most Want Terrorists.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>At the peak of the pandemic, authorities allege Escoe was among six South Florida ring members who defrauded the Small Business Administration they submitted more than 90 pandemic loan applications with false information between 2020 and 2021.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>A grand jury indictment charged the six defendants \u2014 Escoe; Alfred L. Davis, 51; Gino J. Jourdan, 37; Cher L. Davis, 53; Latoya T. Clark, 39; and James G. McGhow, 69 \u2014 with scheming to obtain federal relief funds for their companies in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties.<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>The indictment says their loan applications contained falsified employee numbers, payroll expenses and business revenues, along with fabricated tax documents and bank statements. As a result, the SBA authorized disbursements of about $29 million in Paycheck Protection Program loans and millions in other federal relief funds that the defendants allegedly spent on themselves, according to prosecutor Jonathan Bailyn.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Since the pandemic, federal prosecutors have brought fraud charges against more than 3,200 defendants nationwide \u2014 including over 250 in South Florida, the worst-hit region \u2014 for stealing over $1.7 billion from the approved pandemic loan programs, according to the Justice Department.<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Congress approved the emergency programs, with about $800 billion in loans, to help businesses meet payroll and other expenses.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/?p=1539\">FBI adds Palm Beach woman to new Most Wanted Fraudsters list. Here\u2019s why<\/a><\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Among the loan-fraud suspects that popped up on South Florida\u2019s radar was Andre Lorquet, whose case led federal investigators to the probe of the six recently charged ring members.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Before the pandemic, Lorquet opened a business, Miami ENT, and after COVID-19 swept the nation in March 2020, he used the company to amass a small fortune by obtaining PPP and other federal loans totaling $4.4 million. He spent more than $600,000 on two Teslas, a Lamborghini Urus and a Porsche Panamera GTS, according to Homeland Security Investigations.<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>At his sentencing in 2024, Bailyn, the prosecutor, described Lorquet as a greedy criminal who fleeced his country at one of its weakest moments in history. Lorquet was sentenced to six years.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe were in the middle of a pandemic and a national crisis,\u201d Bailyn said. \u201cThere were many people who saw this as an opportunity for charity; this defendant saw it as an opportunity for exploitation and theft.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p><i>Anyone with information concerning this case is urged to contact the FBI\u2019s Toll-Free tipline at 800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov.<\/i><\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/?p=1537\">World Cup referee from Somalia denied entry to U.S. at Miami airport<\/a><\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--]--><!-- --><\/p>\n<p>This story was originally published <span>June 8, 2026 at 6:29 PM<span>.<\/span><\/span><!-- --><\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The FBI is offering a $150,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of Elaine Angene Escoe, who is charged with pandemic-loan fraud in South Florida.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1538,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1541","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-crime"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>FBI adds Palm Beach woman to new Most Wanted Fraudsters list. 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