A woman from Nevada, Candies Goode-McCoy, has admitted to a shocking scheme in which she attempted to cheat the U.S. government out of nearly $100 million. She pleaded guilty in court to working with others to file thousands of false tax returns in order to claim COVID-19 relief funds meant for struggling businesses.
Between June 2022 and September 2023, McCoy filed around 1,227 fraudulent tax returns for herself and other businesses. These false claims were based on two government relief programs—the Employee Retention Credit (ERC) and the Paid Sick and Family Leave Credit. These programs were created during the COVID-19 pandemic to help small businesses survive financial hardship.
McCoy’s fraudulent claims sought over $98 million in tax refunds, and shockingly, the IRS unknowingly paid out $33 million before catching on. Out of this, McCoy personally received more than $1.3 million in fraudulent funds and was paid an additional $800,000 by those she helped scam the system.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the government set up special financial relief programs to help businesses. The ERC was designed to allow small businesses to reduce their employment tax burden, while the Paid Sick and Family Leave Credit reimbursed businesses for wages paid to employees who had to take leave due to COVID-19.
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