A South Florida tax preparer has pleaded guilty in federal court to participating in a scheme that involved submitting falsified documents to fraudulently obtain millions of dollars in pandemic relief loans under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).
A federal judge accepted the guilty plea of Roody Metelus, 47, of Westlake, who owned and operated JRS Tax Services, LLC in Dania Beach. Court documents show that between January 2021 and January 2022, Metelus worked with others to create false tax records used to support more than 200 PPP loan applications.
Prosecutors said Metelus fabricated tax forms for clients—many of whom were wage earners—to falsely present them as self-employed business owners eligible for relief under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act program.
“Pandemic relief programs were created to help small businesses survive an economic crisis, not to enrich tax preparers through fraud,” U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida said in a statement. He added that Metelus “exploited his clients’ trust” and helped generate more than $4.1 million in fraudulent applications targeting taxpayer-funded relief.
IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) officials also condemned the conduct. “Tax fraud is fraud, and this defendant is now a felon,” said Special Agent in Charge Ron Loecker of the IRS-CI Florida Field Office, warning that anyone submitting false documents to federal programs would face similar consequences.
Authorities said the fraudulent applications sought more than $4.1 million in PPP funds, with approximately 116 loans approved and roughly $2.3 million ultimately disbursed. Metelus allegedly required clients to pay him a percentage of the proceeds once funds were received.
Metelus pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and faces up to five years in federal prison. His sentencing will be determined by a U.S. district court judge following consideration of federal sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.
The case was investigated by IRS-CI’s Florida Field Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Aimee Jimenez is prosecuting, while Assistant U.S. Attorney Daren Grove is handling asset forfeiture.
