⏱ 2 min read
Adonia Stiles, a Las Vegas businesswoman, has been sentenced to 18 months in prison for conspiring to defraud the United States by filing false COVID-19 employment tax credits. Stiles, a real estate agent, tax preparer, and clothing store owner, orchestrated a scheme to seek millions in refunds by filing false tax returns. The scheme involved filing false employment tax returns for her clothing store and referring others to a co-conspirator, Candies Goode-McCoy, who filed over 150 false tax returns.
The false tax returns claimed over $15 million in fraudulent tax credits, resulting in the US paying out more than $7 million in refunds. Stiles received at least $135,000 for making referrals to Goode-McCoy. The scheme was designed to take advantage of the employee retention credit (ERC) and sick and family leave credit, programs created by Congress to aid struggling businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Stiles’s sentence is the result of a thorough investigation by the Justice Department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division and the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Nevada. The government recommended a sentence of 40 months, but the court ultimately sentenced Stiles to 18 months. The case highlights the commitment of law enforcement to safeguarding America’s tax dollars and the programs they are meant to support.
The sentence serves as a warning to those who would attempt to defraud the US government. As Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald stated, ‘The Fraud Division will not tolerate anyone who steals from public benefits programs designed to support Americans in need.’ The case is a reminder that those who engage in fraudulent activities will face the full force of federal law.
📋 Key Facts
- Crime: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Defendant: Nevada
- Location: NV
- Source: DOJ Press Release
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