A Las Vegas woman pleaded guilty Thursday to conspiring to fraudulently seeking nearly $100 million in COVID-19 employment tax credits.
Candies Goode-McCoy faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, according to a Department of Justice news release. She is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 23, 2026.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Goode-McCoy conspired with others to file tax returns seeking fraudulent refunds based on the employee retention credit and paid sick and family leave credit. From around June 2022 through September 2023, McCoy filed more than 1,200 false tax returns for her businesses and others claiming these refundable credits.
The claims sought refunds of more than$98 million, of which the IRS paid approximately $33 million, the release said. McCoy personally received over $1.3 million in fraudulent refunds and was paid about $800,000 from those on whose behalf she filed fraudulent returns.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Karen E. Kelly of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and Acting U.S. Attorney Sue Fahami for the District of Nevada made the announcement.
Contact Tony Garcia at tgarcia@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0307. Follow @TonyGLVNews on X.