U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk sentenced Daryl Jones Jr., 46, to 65 months in prison for orchestrating a scheme that fraudulently obtained COVID-19 pandemic-related unemployment insurance benefits and involved identity theft. Jones was also ordered to pay restitution of $116,587.
Jones secured $84,592 in unemployment benefits from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania between June 22, 2020, and July 15, 2020. These funds were accessed through debit cards issued under false pretenses to him and four others. Additional debit cards were created using stolen identities but did not receive any unemployment deposits.
The personal information used by Jones was partly provided by his girlfriend, Cheryl Johnson, who had access to such data through her supervisory roles at various businesses in the St. Louis area.
On June 3, 2021, Jones submitted fake pay stubs linked to a fictitious business associated with Johnson to secure a vehicle loan worth $31,700. Both he and Johnson used counterfeit insurance identification cards for the vehicle’s delivery.
Their criminal activities took place at the St. Louis County home of James Whitiker. A court-approved search on June 25, 2021, uncovered a notebook containing sensitive information of about 35 individuals and other documents with details of an additional 18 people. Investigators also found three stolen identification documents and nine Pennsylvania unemployment benefit debit cards among other items.
“The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is charged with defending the nation’s mail system from illegal use,” said Ruth Mendonça, Inspector in Charge leading the Chicago Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service which includes the St. Louis Field Office.
Jones pleaded guilty in February to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and wire fraud charges in U.S. District Court.
Johnson pleaded guilty on February 20 to similar charges and received a sentence of 55 months in prison on May 22 along with an order to repay $116,587. Whitiker admitted guilt in July for conspiracy charges and was sentenced in October to three years imprisonment after acknowledging his role during the conspiracy period.
The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Postal Service alongside the U.S Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General with Assistant U.S Attorney Tracy Berry prosecuting the case.
