A Port Saint Lucie tax preparer was sentenced Feb. 11 to 36 months in federal prison for defrauding taxpayers of more than $175,000 and attempting to obtain U.S. citizenship by concealing his crimes from immigration officials.

U.S. District Judge Donald M. Middlebrooks ordered 45-year-old Wislet Metayer to pay $167,792.45 in restitution. A federal jury in West Palm Beach previously convicted Metayer on 32 counts of aiding and assisting in the preparation of false tax returns and one count of making a false statement related to naturalization.

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“This defendant abused the trust of his clients and stole from the American taxpayer,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones. “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.”

Special Agent in Charge Ron Loecker of the IRS Criminal Investigation Florida Field Office added: “When you turn tax forms into tools for bogus refunds — you’re stealing from every honest taxpayer. Metayer chose to cheat the system and even lied in a bid for citizenship. A jury saw through it, and the court delivered accountability.”

Court records show that Metayer worked as a professional tax preparer from 2019 through 2025. To attract customers and justify inflated fees, he filed dozens of federal income tax returns containing false business losses, deductions, and credits without clients’ knowledge, inflating refunds and defrauding the U.S. Treasury of over $175,000.

Metayer, a Haitian national and lawful U.S. permanent resident, applied for naturalization in March 2024 while the fraud scheme was ongoing. He falsely denied committing any crimes or offenses, concealing his criminal conduct during the citizenship process.

Metayer will be subject to removal from the U.S. after completing his prison sentence.

The case was investigated by IRS‑CI Florida Field Office and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Miami and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Marc Osborne.