Sussex County Man Charged in $2 Million COVID-19 Fraud Scheme

NEWARK N.J. – A Sussex County, New Jersey, man was arrested today on charges related to fraudulently obtaining Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) funds and Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) totaling over $2 million, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced today.

Nikenson Jean Mathurin, aka “Nik Mathurin,” aka “Jean Mathurin,” 44, of Sparta, New Jersey, is charged by complaint with one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering. He is scheduled to have his initial appearance this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jessica S. Allen in Newark federal court.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

From April 2020 through November 2021, Mathurin participated in a scheme to fraudulently receive over $2 million in COVID-19 emergency relief loans meant for distressed small businesses under the PPP and EIDL programs. He submitted several fraudulent PPP and EIDL applications on behalf of five purported business — Innovation Partners Plus, Inc., Opulence Motor Group LLC, OMG Collision Corp. (doing business as Corsa Volante), Tricon Systems LTC, and America Home Care LLC — to four lenders. In support of these applications, Mathurin allegedly provided false and fraudulent documents and information to the lenders, including fabricated tax documents, payroll documents, and number of employees.

Mathurin also used the allegedly fraudulent proceeds to, among other things, send money between his various bank accounts, buy restaurant equipment unrelated to any of his purported businesses, pay for travel expenses, and transfer money to an account at an online vehicle auction company, which was used to buy luxury cars, motorcycles, and motorcycle parts.

The wire fraud charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, and the money laundering charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. Each charge also carries a maximum fine of $250,000, or twice the gross gain to the defendant or gross loss to the victim, whichever is greatest.

U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the of the Northeast Region of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, Office of Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Robert Manchak, and special agents of IRS – Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Tammy Tomlins, with the investigation leading to the charges.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Fatime Meka Cano of the Economic Crimes Unit in Newark and Trial Attorney David D. Hamstra of the U.S Department of Justice’s Fraud Section.

The District of New Jersey COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Strike Force is one of five strike forces established throughout the United States by the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate and prosecute COVID-19 fraud. The strike forces focus on large-scale, multi-state pandemic relief fraud perpetrated by criminal organizations and transnational actors. The strike forces are interagency law enforcement efforts, using prosecutor-led and data analyst-driven teams designed to identify and bring to justice those who stole pandemic relief funds.

Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.

The charges and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.