GREENEVILLE, Tenn. (WJHL) — A Kingsport woman pleaded guilty on Wednesday to conspiring to commit wire and mail fraud through her alleged role in submitting false claims to receive COVID-19 employment tax credit refunds.

A release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for East Tennessee said Aylissa Glidewell, 35, entered a guilty plea Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Greeneville. She faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, the release said.

According to the release, Glidewell and others conspired to “file false tax returns seeking fraudulent refunds based on the employee retention credit (ERC) and paid sick and family leave credit, both of which were created by Congress to aid struggling businesses during the COVID-19 global pandemic.”

The release from the U.S. attorney’s office said Glidewell and her co-conspirators created fake businesses that lacked any employees or operations for the sole purpose of claiming false tax credits. Glidewell reportedly filed several false tax returns under those phony businesses and directed payments to be mailed to an address she and her co-conspirators controlled.

Total refunds claimed by Glidewell were more than $3.4 million, of which the IRS paid around $1.8 million to her, the release said.

According to the release, Glidewell’s sentencing hearing will take place in Greeneville on July 9.