Tiffany Williams, Covid Tax Credit Scheme, New York 2026

Brooklyn Woman Lands 36 Months Behind Bars for $600M Covid Tax Scam

In a brazen scheme that left taxpayers footing the bill, Tiffany Williams, a 43-year-old Brooklyn tax preparer, has been sentenced to 36 months in prison for her role in a massive Covid tax credit scam. The scheme, which spanned from November 2021 to June 2023, saw Williams and her co-conspirators file over 8,000 false tax returns, seeking a whopping $600 million in credits they weren’t entitled to.

According to court documents, Williams and her crew conspired to claim refunds based on the employee retention credit and paid sick and family leave credit, two programs designed to aid struggling businesses during the pandemic. But instead of helping those in need, Williams and her co-conspirators lined their pockets with ill-gotten gains, causing a loss of approximately $45 million to the United States.

Williams’ scheme was a textbook case of greed, with the tax preparer and her co-conspirators using the Covid pandemic as a cover for their nefarious activities. And while the scheme may have seemed clever at the time, it ultimately led to Williams’ downfall, as she pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud.

The investigation into Williams’ scheme was a collaborative effort between the IRS-Criminal Investigation, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald and U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella, Jr. for the Eastern District of New York made the announcement, bringing a measure of justice to the victims of Williams’ scheme.

As Williams begins her 36-month sentence, taxpayers can breathe a sigh of relief, knowing that one less tax scammer is off the streets. But the question remains: how many more Williams’ are out there, waiting to strike? Only time will tell.

Source: Department of Justice

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