Sparta man gets 78 months in federal prison for stealing $2.1M in COVID-19 relief funds
Court documents show the scheme began in April 2020 and targeted both private lenders and the Small Business Administration.
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A Sussex County man has been sentenced to 78 months in federal prison for orchestrating a scheme that fraudulently obtained more than $2.1 million in COVID-19 relief funds.
Nikenson Jean Mathurin, 46, of Sparta — also known as “Nik Mathurin” and “Jean Mathurin” — was sentenced Oct. 28 by a U.S. district judge in Trenton federal court. In addition to the 6½-year prison sentence, Mathurin was ordered to serve three years of supervised release and pay $2,131,747 in restitution.
Mathurin was convicted in May 2026 following a four-day jury trial on three counts of wire fraud and one count of money laundering.
According to trial evidence and court documents, Mathurin began participating in a scheme in April 2020 to defraud lenders and the Small Business Administration.
Federal prosecutors said Mathurin submitted 15 fraudulent applications for the Paycheck Protection Program and Economic Injury Disaster Loan program on behalf of businesses he claimed to own. The applications contained false information about average monthly payroll expenses, gross revenue and employee counts, along with fabricated supporting tax and payroll records.
As a result of the false filings, Mathurin unlawfully secured more than $2.1 million in taxpayer-funded emergency relief intended to keep small businesses afloat during the pandemic.
