A St. Louis County man, Daryl Jones Jr., has admitted to engaging in fraudulent activities related to COVID-19 pandemic unemployment benefits. On Friday, Jones pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and wire fraud.
Between June 22, 2020, and July 15, 2020, the State of Pennsylvania deposited $84,592 in unemployment benefits onto debit cards issued under false identities linked to Jones and four others. Additional debit cards were issued using stolen identities but received no deposits.
Jones acquired some personal information from Cheryl Johnson, his girlfriend, who accessed it while working at various businesses in the St. Louis area.
In another incident on June 3, 2021, Jones used counterfeit pay stubs from a fake business associated with Johnson to secure a $31,700 vehicle loan. They also submitted fake insurance identification cards for vehicle delivery acceptance. Later that month, law enforcement found a notebook with names and Social Security numbers of about 35 individuals during a search at James Whitiker's home.
Jones is set for sentencing on May 29. Johnson pleaded guilty on February 20 to similar charges and will be sentenced in May as well. Whitiker was sentenced in October to three years in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy charges.