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Date: Aug. 13, 2026
Contact: newsroom@ci.irs.gov
Newark, NJ – A Bergen County man, who orchestrated a scheme to fraudulently obtain approximately $670,292 in COVID-19 relief funding, was sentenced on Aug. 12, 2026, to 24 months imprisonment, U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer announced.
Malak Faltawws of Rutherford, New Jersey, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Evelyn Padin in Newark Federal Court to two counts of an Indictment charging wire fraud and money laundering. Judge Padin also imposed the sentence.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
From March 2020 through November 2021, Faltawws fraudulently obtained approximately $670,292 of COVID-19 emergency relief funds, which included loans and cash advances meant for distressed small businesses under the EIDL and PPP programs, by submitting false and fraudulent applications, inflating his businesses’ revenue, payroll expenses, and number of employees. After receiving the fraudulent funds, he diverted the proceeds for his personal gain.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Padin sentenced Faltawws to three years of supervised release and to pay restitution in the amount of $670,292 and a fine of $10,000.
United States Attorney Frazer credited special agents of the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, Newark Field Office, under the direction of Jenifer L. Piovesan.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Farhana C. Melo of the Economic Crimes Unit in Newark.
On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division (“Fraud Division”). The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.
IRS-CI is the law enforcement arm of the IRS, responsible for conducting financial crime investigations, including tax fraud, narcotics trafficking, money laundering, public corruption, healthcare fraud, identity theft and more. It is the only federal law enforcement agency with investigative jurisdiction over violations of the Internal Revenue Code. IRS-CI has 16 field offices located across the U.S. and maintains an international presence through attaché posts abroad.