Port Saint Lucie tax preparer sentenced to prison for tax fraud and lying on naturalization application

Date: Feb. 24, 2026

Contact: [email protected]

MIAMI - 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 imposed the sentence on Wislet Metayer and ordered him to pay $167,792.45 in restitution. A federal jury in West Palm Beach previously convicted Metayer 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.

"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."

"When you turn tax forms into tools for bogus refunds -you're stealing from every honest taxpayer," said Special Agent in Charge Ron Loecker of the IRS Criminal Investigation, 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."

According to court records, Metayer worked as a professional tax preparer from approximately 2019 through 2025. To attract customers and justify inflated preparation fees, Metayer prepared and filed dozens of federal income tax returns containing false business losses, deductions, and credits-without his customers' knowledge-in order to increase their refunds. As a result of this scheme, the U.S. Treasury suffered losses exceeding $175,000.

Metayer is a Haitian national and lawful permanent resident of the U.S. In March 2024, while his tax fraud scheme was ongoing, Metayer applied to become a naturalized U.S. citizen. As part of the application process, Metayer was required to disclose whether he had ever been convicted of, charged with, or arrested for a crime or offense and whether he had ever committed a crime or offense for which he was not arrested. Metayer concealed his ongoing criminal conduct and falsely denied committing any such offenses.

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

U.S. Attorney Reding Quiñones; Special Agent in Charge Loecker; and Acting Special Agent in Charge José R. Figueroa of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Miami made the announcement.

IRSCI Florida Field Office and HSI Miami investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Marc Osborne prosecuted the case.

IRS-CI is the law enforcement arm of the IRS, responsible for conducting financial crime investigations, including tax fraud, narcotics trafficking, money laundering, public corruption, healthcare fraud, identity theft and more. It is the only federal law enforcement agency with investigative jurisdiction over violations of the Internal Revenue Code. IRS-CI has 18 field offices located across the U.S. and maintains an international presence through attaché posts abroad.