Darnell Jones, a member of the Ninedee gang operating in Brooklyn, has pleaded guilty to charges of wire fraud conspiracy and aggravated identity theft. This plea took place earlier in federal court in Brooklyn and involved Jones admitting to his role in a scheme that used the stolen identities of numerous individuals to claim over $800,000 in federal unemployment insurance benefits. These benefits, made available in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, were part of programs funded by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The period in which these activities took place ran from March 2020 through August 2021.
Jones also confessed to further fraudulent activities between May 2021 and October 2024. During this time, he illegally obtained personal and financial information, intending to defraud victims of more than $3.5 million through wire fraud. His sentencing, overseen by United States District Judge Dora L. Irizarry, could result in a maximum prison term of 32 years, with a mandatory minimum of two years.
The guilty plea announcement was made by John J. Durham, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, in collaboration with Christopher G. Raia, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI's New York Field Office, and Jessica S. Tisch, Commissioner of the New York City Police Department.
Durham remarked, "Today, Jones admitted to his extensive fraud scheme to swindle millions of dollars of unemployment benefits by using the stolen identities of innocent victims." He noted that the funds intended for pandemic relief were instead used to support the Ninedee gang's violent activities in Brooklyn. He underscored the importance of cutting off financial channels to dismantle violent gangs.
The investigation benefited from the support of the U.S. Department of Labor and New York State Department of Labor.
Raia emphasized the defendant’s detrimental impact on the community, stating, "Darnell Jones, a Ninedee gang member, financed illicit gang operations with millions of dollars in fraudulent unemployment benefits obtained with numerous stolen identities."
Commissioner Tisch added, "At the height of a global crisis, Darnell Jones exploited the identities of vulnerable New Yorkers to bankroll a violent gang’s criminal enterprise."
Jones is accused of leading financial fraud schemes for the Ninedee gang, particularly those involving unemployment benefits fraud. Court documents reveal that the gang, based in the East New York, Brooklyn area, engaged in numerous criminal activities, including drug trafficking and violence, to establish control over their territory.
The prosecution of gang-related crimes, including the efforts against the Ninedee gang, forms part of a comprehensive federal response to reduce gang control and violence. Several gang members have been prosecuted, while others await trial or have been convicted.
The prosecution in this case is managed by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Emily J. Dean and Irisa Chen, with assistance from Paralegal Specialist Theodore Rader.