Business owner sentenced to over four years in prison for $100m COVID-19 tax credit scheme

Date: April 7, 2026

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A Nevada woman was sentenced yesterday to 54 months in prison and three years of supervised release for conspiring to defraud the United States by fraudulently claiming nearly $100 million in COVID-19 related employment tax credits.

The Department of Justice announced this case and two others in support of President Trump's Task Force to Eliminate Fraud at a press conference in Washington today.

"Thanks to the leadership of President Donald Trump, the Department, working closely with the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, is supercharging efforts to take down every fraudster and bring them to justice," said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. "In one day, the Department prosecuted the theft of a half-billion in taxpayer dollars. All those ripping off the American people are on notice."

According to court documents and statements made in court, Candies Goode-McCoy, formerly of Las Vegas, conspired with others to file tax returns seeking fraudulent refunds based on the employee retention credit and paid sick and family leave credit, credits which Congress created to aid struggling businesses during the COVID-19 global pandemic. From approximately June 2022 through Sept. 2023, McCoy filed more than 1,200 tax returns for her own businesses and those of others, which falsely claimed these credits and sought refunds totaling more than $98 million.

In total, the IRS paid approximately $33 million as a result of the scheme. Personally, Goode-McCoy received over $1.3 million in fraudulent refunds. She also received approximately $800,000 from clients for filing fraudulent returns. McCoy used the proceeds to pay for vacations, luxury cars and other luxury goods, and to gamble at casinos.

Goode-McCoy pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud the government with respect to claims. In addition to the term of imprisonment, McCoy was ordered to pay the IRS $26,022,188 in restitution.

Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department's Criminal Division and First Assistant U.S. Attorney Sigal Chattah for the District of Nevada joined in the announcement.

IRS Criminal Investigation and the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration investigated the case.

Trial Attorney John C. Gerardi of the Criminal Division's Tax Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard Anthony Lopez of the District of Nevada prosecuted the case.

IRS-CI is the law enforcement arm of the IRS, responsible for conducting financial crime investigations, including tax fraud, narcotics trafficking, money laundering, public corruption, healthcare fraud, identity theft and more. It is the only federal law enforcement agency with investigative jurisdiction over violations of the Internal Revenue Code. IRS-CI has 18 field offices located across the U.S. and maintains an international presence through attaché posts abroad.