Hayden O’Byrne United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida | The Florida Bar
Elaine A. Escoe, Alfred L. Davis, Gino J. Jourdan, Cher L. Davis, Latoya T. Clark, and James G. McGhow have been indicted on charges of conspiracy, wire fraud, and money laundering related to a scheme that allegedly secured over $34 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds through fraudulent means.
The indictment claims that between May 2020 and November 2021, the accused submitted more than 90 fraudulent applications for funds under various federal programs including the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL), Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF), and Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG). These applications reportedly contained false information about employee numbers, payroll expenses, and business revenues. The defendants are also accused of providing falsified IRS tax documents and fabricated bank statements to support their applications.
It is alleged that the scheme led to the wrongful disbursement of approximately $29.1 million in PPP funds, $1.2 million in RRF funds, and $3.8 million in SVOG funds. Following the disbursement of these funds, the defendants supposedly made payments to each other and businesses they controlled while withdrawing large cash sums and using blank signed checks to obscure the source of the proceeds.
Each defendant faces one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering along with multiple counts of wire fraud and engaging in monetary transactions involving criminally derived property. If convicted, they could face up to 20 years in prison for each wire fraud charge and up to 10 years for each money laundering charge. Sentencing will be determined by a federal district court judge based on U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney Hayden P. O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida announced these developments alongside 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.
The investigation was conducted by FBI Miami’s West Palm Beach Resident Agency with assistance from HSI Miami. Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan Bailyn is prosecuting this case with support from Legal Administrative Specialist Matthew Neff regarding litigation technology.
It is important to note that an indictment is merely an allegation; all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
For further details or updates on this case, refer to the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida's website at www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls or check related court documents on www.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 25-cr-80076-AMC.
