New Jersey Man Sentenced to 78 Months for $2.1 Million COVID-19 Relief Fraud
NEWARK, N.J. — A New Jersey man who obtained more than $2.1 million in fraudulent COVID-19 relief funds was sentenced on October 28, 2026, to 78 months in federal prison, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Jersey announced on November 2.
U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer said Nikenson Jean Mathurin, 46, of Sparta, in Sussex County, New Jersey, was also sentenced to three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $2,131,747 in restitution. Following a four-day jury trial in May 2026 before U.S. District Judge Michael A. Shipp in Trenton federal court, Mathurin was convicted of three counts of wire fraud and one count of money laundering.
According to documents in the case and evidence at trial, beginning in April 2020 Mathurin submitted fifteen fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) applications to lenders and the U.S. Small Business Administration on behalf of businesses he claimed to own. The applications contained false information about the entities' average monthly payroll, gross revenue and number of employees, along with fake supporting tax documents and payroll records. He unlawfully obtained more than $2.1 million in federal COVID-19 emergency relief money.
The case was investigated by IRS Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jenifer L. Piovesan. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew Stark and Fatime Meka Cano prosecuted the case. The District of New Jersey hosts one of five COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Strike Forces established by the Department of Justice across the United States.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：位于 Washington 的美国司法部总部大楼（资料图）。 / Photo: The U.S. Department of Justice headquarters in Washington (file photo).
