It’s well-established that some folks work themselves into an early grave to earn an honest living, while others—blessed with a more creative disposition—prefer to let Uncle Sam do the heavy lifting. Such was the case with one Candies Goode-McCoy of Las Vegas, whose knack for arithmetic, while impressive, appears to have been applied to the wrong ledger.
The Department of Justice reports that Ms. Goode-McCoy, in a display of boundless entrepreneurial spirit, conspired with like-minded individuals to defraud the government of nearly $100 million in COVID-19 tax credits. Between June 2022 and September 2023, she busied herself filing 1,200 fraudulent tax returns that even the most hardened scoundrels must have tipped their hats in admiration.
The IRS, ever a generous and trusting institution, unwittingly handed over $33 million before realizing that the arithmetic had taken on a fictitious quality.
For her trouble, Ms. Goode-McCoy stands accused of pocketing $1.3 million in fraudulent refunds, with an additional $800,000 for her expert services in creative bookkeeping. Unlike the common crook, who contents himself with a quick getaway, Ms. Goode-McCoy saw fit to reinvest her ill-gotten gains into the vital sectors of luxury automobiles, gambling, and vacations—thus ensuring the money continued to circulate, if only among the more disreputable elements of society.
Alas, her enterprise met an untimely end, and she now faces the unenviable prospect of explaining her financial strategies to a federal judge. At sentencing, she may expect to spend up to 10 years in government housing, where luxury accommodations are somewhat lacking. Fines will be imposed, though one suspects her ability to pay them will be hampered by her newfound career in license plate manufacturing.
The Old Blog in the Desert 
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