FBI Lists Jamaican Fraud Suspect as Teachers’ Union and Hanover Councillors Raise Alarms

A Jamaican woman accused of helping to carry out a US$34 million COVID-19 relief fraud scheme has been placed on the FBI’s new most-wanted fraudsters list, while the Jamaica Teachers’ Association is renewing its challenge to the proposed Jamaica Teaching Council Bill and Hanover councillors are warning that poor garbage collection is fuelling a rat problem.

The FBI identified the wanted woman as 41-year-old Ela and Jean Esco, who was last seen in South Florida and is also known by the aliases Annie and Annie Palmer. The bureau is offering US$150,000 for information leading to her arrest and conviction. Officials said she was last seen in Palm Beach County on June 3, 2025, missed a court appearance two days later, and was already the subject of a federal arrest warrant issued on May 22, 2025.

Investigators allege that, between May 2020 and November 2021, Esco and others filed more than 90 fraudulent applications for relief money through programmes including the Paycheck Protection Program, Economic Injury Disaster Loans, the Restaurant Revitalization Fund and Shuttered Venue Operators Grants. The FBI says the filings misstated employee numbers, payroll costs and revenue, leading to about US$29 million in PPP payments and US$3.88 million in SVOG funds being wrongfully paid out. Esco faces charges including conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering and transactional money laundering.

Separately, JTA president-elect Lasagna Harrison told teachers at the St. James Parish Association’s annual general meeting at Calvary Baptist Church in Montego Bay on Thursday that the JTC Bill remains a serious threat to the profession. She said the proposed council could leave teachers outnumbered by non-teachers, give the education minister too much authority, and allow teachers under investigation to lose pay after their licences are suspended.

Harrison urged educators to study the legislation and be ready to respond if the association calls on them. She argued that at least 70 to 75 per cent of the council should be teachers and said the issue was not tied to party politics.

In Hanover, councillors at Thursday’s municipal corporation sitting criticised the National Solid Waste Management Authority after its May report said 31 districts had uncollected garbage. Deputy mayor of Lucea and Sandy Bay councillor Andrea Dhaney Grant said the situation was undermining a rodent-control programme and increasing health risks. Hanover Chamber of Commerce president Charmaine Anderson-Gail said the chamber would write to Local Government Minister Desmond McKenzie and the NSWMA leadership about the matter.