In particular, the indictment raised questions about how an inmate with such a high-dollar commissary account had not been flagged earlier.

There are currently no limits to how much money inmates can have in their commissary accounts, Mr. Gonzalez said, adding that he will refer the matter to the New York State Department of Corrections.

Thomas Mailey, a spokesman for the department, said, “The department has zero tolerance for illegal activities being conducted in state correctional facilities and has fully assisted with the ongoing investigation.”

Mr. Smith called his underlings through the regular prison phones that inmates were allowed to use, not through a contraband cellphone, prosecutors said, and one way he circumvented the rules was by registering his calls to another inmate’s pin number.

Prosecutors said the Brick Squad was unusual from a typical street gang, which is often a disorganized group of young men who grew up on the same block. The Brick Squad adhered to a strict constitution with a clear leadership; they showed their loyalty through hand signs, clothing and music lyrics.

The gang paid close attention to the members moving up and down within the hierarchy, known internally as the “Forbes” list, the indictment said. Two of the defendants discussed selling heroin in Atlanta to prove to Mr. Smith that they were worthy of a promotion.

After one gang member was promoted, he called a friend in prison and said, “There’s mad discrepancies going on with the Forbes,” according to prosecutors.