By: Tracie Carter
A Sussex County man has been sentenced to more than six years in federal prison for fraudulently obtaining over $2.1 million in COVID-19 relief funds intended to assist struggling businesses during the pandemic.
According to U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer, Nikenson Jean Mathurin, 46, of Sparta, was sentenced on October 28 to 78 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay $2,131,747 in restitution.
Federal officials said Mathurin submitted 15 fraudulent applications for Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) funding beginning in April 2020.
Investigators determined that the applications contained fabricated payroll figures, inflated business revenues, false employee counts, and fraudulent tax and payroll documents.
The scheme allowed Mathurin to obtain more than $2.1 million in federal emergency assistance.
Following a four-day trial in May 2026, a federal jury convicted Mathurin of three counts of wire fraud and one count of money laundering.
The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Judge Michael A. Shipp in Trenton federal court.