ST. LOUIS – The last in a trio of people who committed COVID-19 pandemic-related unemployment fraud and stole dozens of identities along the way appeared in federal court on Friday to be sentenced.

Prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri said Daryl Jones Jr., 46, pleaded guilty in February to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and wire fraud.

Between June 22, 2020, and July 15, 2020, Jones fraudulently obtained $84,592 in pandemic-related unemployment benefits from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania on debit cards issued to him and four other people.

Cheryl Johnson, Jones’ girlfriend, provided some of the personal identifying information to Jones. She obtained this information by supervising the victims at various St. Louis area businesses. Those businesses were not identified in a federal statement obtained by FOX 2 News.

On June 3, 2021, Jones submitted fake pay stubs from a phony business to obtain a $31,700 car loan. Jones and Johnson submitted counterfeit insurance cards to accept delivery of the car.

The pair used James Whitiker’s St. Louis County home to commit their crimes, prosecutors said.

Later that month, authorities obtained a court-approved search warrant for the home. They found a notebook containing the names, Social Security numbers, and birthdates of nearly three dozen people, plus separates pieces of paper containing personal info of 18 more people. Investigators also recovered three stolen ID documents, nine Pennsylvania unemployment benefit debit cards, as well as stolen debit and credit cards.

Jones was sentenced to 65 months in federal prison and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $116,587.

Johnson, 44, pleaded guilty on Feb. 20 to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and wire fraud. She was sentenced on May 22 to 55 months in federal prison and ordered to repair $116,587.

Whitiker admitted knowing that Jones and Johnson were using his home to commit fraud and to using two debit cards during the conspiracy. He pleaded guilty in July 2024 to a conspiracy charge and was sentenced this past October to three years in federal prison.