Transcript (en)

is now in U.S. custody after fleeing to the Caribbean. Chandley Painter is here with those details. Hey guys, good morning. So according to the FBI, the woman, Elaine Angine Esko, was living under a fake identity in Jamaica while evading fraud charges for allegedly attaining more than $32 million in taxpayer-funded COVID-19 relief funds before fleeing the country after failing to appear in federal court. 41-year-old Esko was indicted in 2025 on charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and multiple counts of money laundering. FBI Director Cash Patel telling Fox Digital, quote, The historic success of the most-wanted fraudster list continues as the FBI and our partners just captured our fourth most-wanted fraudster in five weeks. And yet another high-value target returned to the U.S. by this FBI. ELANE ANGINE ESKO IS ON THE RUN OR WAS ON THE RUN SINCE 2025, WAS CAPTURED IN JAMAICA WHILE LIVING UNDER A FAKE IDENTITY OF HARLEY NEWMAN AND RETURNED TO THE UNITED STATES TO FACE JUSTICE. IN ANOTHER STATEMENT, ATTORNEY GENERAL TODD BLANCH SAYING, QUOTE, THIS MOST-WANTED FRAUD STER ALLEGEDLY OBTAINED TENS OF MILLIONS IN COVID-19 RELIEF, STEALING CRITICAL RESOURCES FROM LEGITIMATE BUSINESSES DURING A NATIONAL CRISIS. SHE FLED THE COUNTRY BELIEVING SHE COULD ESCAPE JUSTICE BUT ULTIMATELY COULD NOT. THOSE WHO EXPLOYED TAXPAYER-FUNDED PROGRAMS WILL BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE BY THIS DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE, NO MATTER HOW LONG IT TAKES OR WHERE THEY ATTEMPT TO HIDE. SINCE JUNE, THE FBI HAS RETURNED MORE THAN 30 HIGH-VALUE TARGETS TO THE U.S. AND THE FOUR ALLEGED SUSPECTS CAPTURED OVER THE PAST FIVE WEEKS ARE COLLECTIVELY CHARGED WITH NEARLY $1.8 BILLION IN FRAUD, GUYS.