Las Vegas woman pleads guilty to fraud for seeking $100M in false COVID-19 employment tax credits
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — A Las Vegas woman is facing up to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to conspiring to defraud the government of millions of dollars. The money was used to buy luxury cars, go gambling, and take vacations.
Candies Goode-McCoy conspired with others to file tax returns seeking fraudulent refunds based on the employee retention credit and paid sick and family leaves credit during COVID-19, according to a news release from the U.S. Department of Justice.
McCoy filed around 1,227 false tax returns for her businesses and others claiming the credits. She was seeking nearly $100M. The IRS did pay $33M. McCoy personally received $1.3 million and was paid around $800,000 from those on whose behalf she filed fraudulent returns.
McCoy is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 23, 2026. She faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison as well as a period of supervised release.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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