North Jersey Man Who Stole $2.1M in COVID Relief Learns Sentence

SUSSEX COUNTY, NJ — A Sussex County man who stole more than $2 million in COVID-19 relief funds has learned his fate in court, officials said.

Nikenson Jean Mathurin, 46, of Sparta, was found guilty of three counts of wire fraud and one count of money laundering following a four-day trial in May.

Specifically, Mathurin collected $2.1 million in fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) funds and Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) established to help small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In April 2020, Mathurin applied for 15 fraudulent PPP and EIDL applications on behalf of businesses he claimed to own, court documents said.

These phony applications featured fake monthly payroll numbers, phony gross revenue, and bogus supporting tax documents and payroll records.

In total, Mathurin secured $2.1 million in illicit COVID relief funds.

On Wednesday, Mathurin was sentenced to six-and-a-half years in prison and ordered to pay $2,131,747 in restitution. He is also subject to three years of supervised release once he is let out.