MIAMI — A Port St. Lucie tax preparer was sentenced Feb. 11 to 36 months in federal prison for defrauding taxpayers of more than $175,000 and lying on his application for U.S. citizenship.
U.S. District Judge Donald M. Middlebrooks sentenced Wislet Metayer, 45, and ordered him to pay $167,792.45 in restitution. A federal jury in West Palm Beach previously found Metayer guilty of 32 counts of aiding and assisting in the preparation of false tax returns and one count of making a false statement related to naturalization.
According to court records, Metayer worked as a professional tax preparer from about 2019 through 2025. Prosecutors said he filed dozens of federal income tax returns that included false business losses, deductions and credits without his clients’ knowledge in order to inflate refunds and increase his preparation fees. The scheme caused losses exceeding $175,000 to the U.S. Treasury.
“This defendant abused the trust of his clients and stole from the American taxpayer,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “He inflated refunds to increase his fees, costing the U.S. Treasury more than $175,000. At the same time, he attempted to obtain U.S. citizenship while concealing his crimes. Fraud in our tax system and dishonesty in our immigration process will not be tolerated.”
Metayer, a Haitian national and lawful permanent resident, applied for naturalization in March 2024 while the tax fraud scheme was ongoing, according to court records. As part of the process, he was required to disclose whether he had been convicted of, charged with or arrested for a crime, or whether he had committed a crime for which he had not been arrested. Prosecutors said he concealed his conduct and falsely denied committing such offenses.
“When you turn tax forms into tools for bogus refunds —you’re stealing from every honest taxpayer,” said Ron Loecker, special agent in charge of IRS Criminal Investigation’s Florida Field Office. “Metayer chose to cheat the system and even lied in a bid for citizenship. A jury saw through it, and the court delivered accountability. IRS Special Agents will continue protecting the integrity of the tax system and work with our partners to hold accountable those who engage in fraud.”
Metayer will be subject to removal from the United States after completing his prison sentence.
The case was investigated by IRS Criminal Investigation’s Florida Field Office and Homeland Security Investigations Miami. Assistant U.S. Attorney Marc Osborne prosecuted the case.