Federal court proceedings in Brooklyn saw Darnell Jones, a member of the Ninedee Gang, admit guilt to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft charges. Active during the COVID-19 pandemic, Jones manipulated personal identification details to illegally acquire over $800,000 from unemployment insurance programs created under the CARES Act from March 2020 to August 2021. He further confessed to using stolen personal data, including bank information, to perpetrate wire fraud from May 2021 to October 2024, aiming to defraud victims of more than $3.5 million. United States District Judge Dora L. Irizarry presided over the proceeding.
With the guilty plea, Jones may face up to 32 years in prison, with a mandatory minimum of two years.
United States Attorney John J. Durham of the Eastern District of New York made the announcement, joined by Christopher G. Raia, Assistant Director in Charge at the FBI's New York Field Office, and Jessica S. Tisch, Commissioner of the NYPD.
“Today, Jones admitted to his extensive fraud scheme to swindle millions of dollars of unemployment benefits by using the stolen identities of innocent victims,” stated United States Attorney Durham. “Even worse, the federal funds were intended to provide relief to those most in need during the COVID-19 pandemic and instead were diverted by the defendant to finance violent crimes of the Ninedee gang in Brooklyn."
Durham acknowledged the assistance from the U.S. Department of Labor and the New York State Department of Labor.
“Darnell Jones, a Ninedee gang member, financed illicit gang operations with millions of dollars in fraudulent unemployment benefits obtained with numerous stolen identities," FBI Assistant Director Raia commented.
“Elaborating on Jones's activities, NYPD Commissioner Tisch stated, “At the height of a global crisis, Darnell Jones exploited the identities of vulnerable New Yorkers to bankroll a violent gang’s criminal enterprise. His guilty plea today is a powerful reminder that no scam is too sophisticated, no network too hidden – we will find you, and we will bring you to justice."
According to court documents and testimonies, Jones was involved with the Ninedee Gang, a criminal group from East New York, Brooklyn. The gang's illicit activities included fraud and violent acts, with Jones leading multiple fraud schemes. Ninedee members engaged in gang violence linked to the Pink Houses apartments and aimed to silence individuals cooperating with law enforcement. Notably, gang members were involved in the murder of Shatavia Walls, a former witness, in July 2020.
Jones and fellow gang members engaged in financial fraud, like check and money order fraud. Beginning in November 2020, Jones solicited private data from New York residents through a co-conspirator, paying with cryptocurrency. Using this information, Jones filed false unemployment claims. Evidence at the trial of Ninedee leader Maliek Miller indicated Jones coordinated with Kevin Wint to purchase firearms. Two firearms equipped with laser sights were found in a residence shared by Jones and Wint in August 2021.
The prosecution, led by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Emily J. Dean and Irisa Chen, is managed by the Office's Organized Crime and Gang Section, with support from Paralegal Specialist Theodore Rader.
