Six Defendants — Have Been Indicted with Conspiracy, Wire Fraud, and Money Laundering — Scheme to Fraudulently Obtain Over $34 Million

Summary

A press release from USAO - Florida, Southern, published June 5, 2025, announcing that Elaine A. Escoe, Alfred L. Davis, Gino J. Jourdan, Cher L. Davis, Latoya T. Clark, and James G. McGhow have been indicted with conspiracy, wire fraud, and money laundering in connection with a scheme to fraudulently obtain over $34 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds. According to allegations in the indictment, from May 2020 through November 2021 the defendants conspired to submit more than 90 false and fraudulent applications for funds under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL), Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF), and Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG). The release states that an indictment is a mere allegation and that a defendant is presumed innocent.

Summary drafted by a model from the document's text below and checked by script against that text before publication. It is a navigation aid, not a reading of what the document proves. Where AI is used

Cite this document

“Six Defendants — Have Been Indicted with Conspiracy, Wire Fraud, and Money Laundering — Scheme to Fraudulently Obtain Over $34 Million.” Original at www.justice.gov. Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/2025-06-05-six-people-indicted-for-covid-19-relief-fraud-scheme-totali-7bb0facc53/, SHA-256 9e800e4c65fb77d9e4a6caceb74d351ebd8831ccb041c567e646d3680adaec1c.

Full text

MIAMI – Elaine A. Escoe, 40; Alfred L. Davis, 51; Gino J. Jourdan, 37; Cher L. Davis, 53; Latoya T. Clark, 39; and James G. McGhow, 69, have been indicted with conspiracy, wire fraud, and money laundering in connection with a scheme to fraudulently obtain over $34 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds.
According to allegations in the indictment, from May 2020 through November 2021, the defendants conspired to submit more than 90 false and fraudulent applications for funds under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL), Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF), and Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG). The applications allegedly contained materially false representations regarding employee counts, payroll expenses, and business revenues. In support of the applications, the defendants are alleged to have submitted falsified IRS tax documents and fabricated bank statements.
The indictment alleges that the scheme resulted in the wrongful disbursement of approximately $29.1 million in PPP funds, $1.2 million in RRF funds, and $3.8 million in SVOG funds. After the funds were disbursed, the defendants allegedly directed payments to each other and to businesses they controlled, withdrew large sums in cash, and used blank, signed checks to conceal the origin and nature of the proceeds.
Each of the six defendants is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. Each defendant also faces multiple substantive counts of wire fraud and engaging in monetary transactions involving criminally derived property. If convicted, the defendants face up to 20 years in prison on each wire fraud charge and up to 10 years in prison on each money laundering charge. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney Hayden P. O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida; Acting Special Agent in Charge Brett Skiles of FBI Miami and Acting Special Agent in Charge José R. Figueroa of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Miami, made the announcement.
FBI Miami’s West Palm Beach Resident Agency investigated the case. HSI Miami assisted in the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan Bailyn is prosecuting the case. Legal Administrative Specialist Matthew Neff is helping with litigation technology.
An indictment is a mere allegation. A defendant is presumed innocent until found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
You may find a copy of this press release (and any updates) on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at
www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls
.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at
www.flsd.uscourts.gov
or at
http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov
, under case number 25-cr-80076-AMC.
###

File and source

File: 2025-06-05_six-people-indicted-for-covid-19-relief-fraud-scheme-totaling-over-34-mi_8484b3c2.md.txt
Size: 2,986 bytes
SHA-256: 9e800e4c65fb77d9e4a6caceb74d351ebd8831ccb041c567e646d3680adaec1c
Our copy: 2025-06-05_six-people-indicted-for-covid-19-relief-fraud-scheme-totaling-over-34-mi_8484b3c2.md.txt
Original: www.justice.gov