A St. Louis County man has confessed to possessing stolen identities and participating in fraudulent schemes, including obtaining unemployment benefits related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Daryl Jones Jr., 45, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and wire fraud.
Between June 22 and July 15, 2020, Pennsylvania deposited $84,592 in pandemic-related unemployment benefits on debit cards issued under false identities of Jones and four others. Additional cards were issued under other stolen identities but received no deposits.
Jones acquired some personal information from his girlfriend Cheryl Johnson, who had access through her job at various businesses in the St. Louis area.
On June 3, 2021, Jones used counterfeit pay stubs linked to a fake business associated with Johnson to secure a $31,700 vehicle loan. They also used fake insurance ID cards for the vehicle delivery. Later that month, they were found at James Whitiker's home during a law enforcement search where investigators discovered documents containing personal information of many individuals along with several stolen identification documents and debit cards.
Jones is set for sentencing on May 29. Johnson admitted guilt on February 20 to similar charges and will be sentenced in May as well. Whitiker pleaded guilty earlier and was sentenced to three years in prison for his role in the conspiracy.
