A former Democratic candidate for New York state Meeting allegedly stole $160,000 in taxpayer money by defrauding the state’s new marketing campaign matching-funds program, federal prosecutors mentioned Friday.
Dao Yin, who misplaced his long-shot bid for the Meeting’s fortieth District in Queens final yr, was slapped with a wire fraud cost and arraigned in Brooklyn federal courtroom Friday.
Yin, 62, is accused of submitting bogus signatures to inflate the variety of marketing campaign contributions he acquired with a view to enhance the quantity of public matching-funds he was entitled to obtain, based on the feds.
“Through lies and deceit, the defendant allegedly stole over $160,000 in taxpayer dollars to fund his campaign for elected office,” mentioned Matthew R. Galeotti, head of the Justice Division’s Prison Division, in an announcement.
The Queens resident and Chinese language nationwide submitted over 200 contribution playing cards to the state Public Marketing campaign Finance Board — “many” of which have been fraudulent, the criticism towards him alleges.
The cast signatures raised purple flags on the CFB, which requested some letters from the donors to make sure the contributions have been legit.
However Yin allegedly submitted pretend letters in response, evidently duping the finance board, based on the criticism.
When Yin received obliterated within the main — receiving solely round 6% of the vote — it sparked much more alarms.
That 6% translated to roughly solely 185 votes, which means Yin had extra contributors than voters.
“As alleged, the defendant, a former candidate for public office, submitted forged campaign contribution cards from members of the very community he hoped to represent, to fraudulently obtain thousands of dollars in public matching funds that he was not entitled to receive,” Brooklyn US Lawyer Joseph Nocella Jr. wrote in an announcement.
“Today’s arrest demonstrates that this Office will protect the integrity of elections and pursue candidates for elected office who violate campaign finance laws,” he mentioned.
Yin, who didn’t return a request for remark Friday, might resist 20 years behind bars if convicted.
The state’s beneficiant marketing campaign matching-funds program has no restrict and permits candidates in tight races to pocket $12 in taxpayer money for each $1 of small donations made by district residents.
The state Board of Elections didn’t instantly remark.
