Alleged Brooklyn gang member Darnell Jones was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison after prosecutors say he used stolen identities to extract more than $800,000 from pandemic unemployment programs and ran broader fraud operations tied to a violent local gang.
Darnell Jones, also known as “EJ,” received a 12-year sentence today from United States District Judge Dora L. Irizarry after being found guilty of wire fraud conspiracy and aggravated identity theft. The court ordered Jones to pay $838,120 in restitution to the New York State Department of Labor as part of the sentence. He had pleaded guilty in April 2025 to conduct that investigators say reached far beyond a single scheme.
Prosecutors say Jones used stolen personally identifying information to obtain more than $800,000 from federally funded unemployment insurance programs created under the CARES Act between March 2020 and August 2021. In his plea, Jones admitted that between May 2021 and October 2024 he obtained PII, including bank information, with an intended loss exceeding $2.7 million. Those details form the backbone of the fraud counts officials relied on at sentencing.
Court filings identify Jones as a member of the Ninedee Gang, a violent enterprise operating out of the Louis H. Pink Houses in East New York, Brooklyn. The filings say Ninedee members were linked to the “5” and “6” Pink Houses and that the crew used violence to control territory. Officials also allege the gang funded its activities through drugs and fraud, and punished anyone they believed cooperated with law enforcement.
Joseph Nocella, Jr., James C. Barnacle, Jr., and Jessica S. Tisch announced the sentence and described the case as part of a wider effort to target gang revenue streams. “Today’s sentence demonstrates that those who defraud innocent victims and pilfer federal funds to support violent gangs will face severe punishment,” stated United States Attorney Nocella. “To successfully dismantle violent gangs who terrorize our neighborhoods and communities, it is essential that we cut off their sources of income, including from fraud schemes like the one perpetrated by the defendant here.”
FBI leadership highlighted the fraud’s role in sustaining the gang’s criminal operations and firearms purchases. “Darnell Jones, a Ninedee gang member, stole more than $800,000 intended for unemployment benefit recipients to fund the enterprise’s illicit operations and firearms procurement. Jones manipulated financial programs designed to support vulnerable New Yorkers during a global pandemic just to unlawfully facilitate the gang’s criminal activity. Alongside our law enforcement partners, the FBI will continue to stem any source of revenue supporting the viability of gangs plaguing our communities,” stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Barnacle.
The NYPD also weighed in on the sentence and the impact of the alleged theft on the community. “Darnell Jones stole more than $800,000 in federal funds meant to help vulnerable New Yorkers during a global pandemic and used those funds to bankroll a violent gang,” stated NYPD Commissioner Tisch. She added that the NYPD will aggressively pursue those who defraud and victimize others and thanked investigative partners for their work in the probe.
According to filings, Jones ran the gang’s fraud efforts, often called scamming, and worked with associates to carry out check fraud, postal money order fraud, and unemployment benefits schemes. Beginning around November 2020, Jones allegedly sent a co-conspirator text messages with the names of 10 New York residents to obtain their dates of birth, Social Security numbers, and driver’s license numbers. That co-conspirator was paid in cryptocurrency, and Jones used the stolen information to file fraudulent unemployment claims with the New York State Department of Labor.
Investigators say messages recovered in 2020 showed Jones coordinating with fellow Ninedee member Kevin Wint to pool money to buy “glicks” or “plates,” slang references to firearms. In August 2021, agents recovered two firearms outfitted with laser sights from a residence shared by Jones and Wint, according to court records. The broader crackdown has led to prosecutions of eight alleged Ninedee members tied to a range of violent and racketeering charges.
Eight members of the Ninedee Gang have faced prosecution in connection with gang-related crimes, including the July 2020 murder in aid of racketeering of Shatavia Walls. Seven defendants pleaded guilty and an eighth, leader Maliek Miller, was convicted at trial in June 2024 and faces a mandatory life sentence. Those who previously pleaded guilty include Quintin Green, age 25; Joe Santana, age 21; Chayanne Fernandez, age 25; Kevin Wint, age 32; Shakur Bey, age 28; and Raquel Dunton, age 39, all from Brooklyn.
The case was handled by the Office’s Organized Crime and Gang Section, with Assistant United States Attorneys Emily J. Dean and Irisa Chen leading the prosecution. Paralegal Specialists Elizabeth Reed and Marlane Bosler assisted on the matter, and federal and state labor investigatory units supported the financial components of the investigation. The sentence and restitution order mark the latest step in officials’ efforts to disrupt the funding that prosecutors say sustained the gang’s violence and criminal enterprises.
