An Essex County tax preparer was sentenced to almost five years in prison after pleading guilty to charges he illegally collected $4.49 million in tax refunds, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced Wednesday. Omar Khater, 33, of Fairfield was sentenced to 57 months in prison and previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to defraud the IRS on Jan. 23. A relative of Khater’s, Walid Khater, 38, of Arizona was named by prosecutors as a conspirator in the case and pleaded guilty to identical charges on May 23, the office said. “Omar Khater has admitted his ro…