Ex-NY Assembly Dem candidate swiped $160K in taxpayer funds in illegal campaign finance scheme: feds
Dao Yin, who lost his long-shot bid for the Assembly's 40th District in Queens last year, was slapped with a wire fraud charge and arraigned in Brooklyn federal court Friday.
Yin, 62, is accused of submitting bogus signatures to inflate the number of campaign contributions he received in order to boost the amount of public matching-funds he was entitled to receive, according to the feds.
Yin, 62, is accused of submitting bogus signatures to inflate the number of campaign contributions he received.
facebook/Daoyinfornewyork
'Through lies and deceit, the defendant allegedly stole over $160,000 in taxpayer dollars to fund his campaign for elected office,' said Matthew R. Galeotti, head of the Justice Department's Criminal Division, in a statement.
The Queens resident and Chinese national submitted over 200 contribution cards to the state Public Campaign Finance Board — 'many' of which were fraudulent, the complaint against him alleges.
The forged signatures raised red flags at the CFB, which requested some letters from the donors to ensure the contributions were legit.
But Yin allegedly submitted fake letters in response, evidently duping the finance board, according to the complaint.
When Yin got obliterated in the primary — receiving only around 6% of the vote — it sparked even more alarms.
That 6% translated to roughly only 185 votes, meaning Yin had more contributors than voters.
A sign marks the location of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) headquarters building on April 30, 2025, in Washington, DC.
Getty Images
'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 Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. wrote in a statement.
'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 said.
Yin, who did not return a request for comment Friday, could face up to 20 years behind bars if convicted.
The state's generous campaign matching-funds program has no limit and allows candidates in tight races to pocket $12 in taxpayer cash for every $1 of small donations made by district residents.
The state Board of Elections didn't immediately comment.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
a few seconds ago
- Yahoo
California lawmakers approve Newsom's redistricting plan to counter Texas Republicans
California lawmakers approved Democratic-led redistricting maps for voters to decide in a special election, a day after Texas House Republicans passed new redistricting plans. The California Legislature on Aug. 21 approved Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom's proposal on a ballot measure to suspend the state's current congressional districts, drawn by an independent commission, and replace them with maps that could give Democrats five U.S. House seats. The redistricting effort in California is in response to Texas, where Republican lawmakers are pushing new redistricting maps at President Donald Trump's request. The Texas Senate could pass its new redistricting plans on Aug. 21, which Republicans hope will give the state GOP an additional five U.S. House seats. Texas Democrats return as Rep. Nicole Collier spends night on House floor in protest
USA Today
2 minutes ago
- USA Today
California lawmakers approve Newsom's redistricting plan to counter Texas Republicans
California lawmakers approved Democratic-led redistricting maps for voters to decide in a special election, a day after Texas House Republicans passed new redistricting plans. The California Legislature on Aug. 21 approved Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom's proposal on a ballot measure to suspend the state's current congressional districts, drawn by an independent commission, and replace them with maps that could give Democrats five U.S. House seats. The redistricting effort in California is in response to Texas, where Republican lawmakers are pushing new redistricting maps at President Donald Trump's request. The Texas Senate could pass its new redistricting plans on Aug. 21, which Republicans hope will give the state GOP an additional five U.S. House seats. But Newsom said Texas "fired the first shot," and that California is "neutralizing" what happened and giving American voters "a fair chance." "We got here because the President of the United States is struggling, we got here because the President of the United States is one of the most unpopular presidents in US history, we got here because he recognizes that he will lose the election," Newsom said before signing his redistricting plan into law. "He's trying to rig the elections. He's trying to set up the conditions where he can claim that the elections were not won fair and square. Open your eyes to what is going on in the United States of America in 2025." Meanwhile, California Republican Party chairwoman Corrin Rankin called Newsom's actions gerrymandering, adding that her party will fight the "corruption" in court and at the ballot box. "Governor Newsom has signed into law a blatant power grab, rushed through in secret by Democrats in the very kind of backroom process Californians voted to abolish when they created the independent Citizens Redistricting Commission," Rankin said in a statement. "Voters established the Commission to guarantee fairness and transparency, and Democrats just shredded it to protect their own power." California wants to thwart Trump, Texas' efforts California Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas said after the vote that Trump doesn't believe in the nation's democratic system. "And it's clear that he will do whatever it takes to hold on to power," Rivas said. "Donald Trump and Republicans don't want to be held accountable by voters. Not in California, not anywhere, actually, in this country." California's proposed redistricting would be temporary as the ballot measure going before voters during a special election on Nov. 4 requires the state to return to nonpartisan map-drawing following the 2030 U.S. Census. But while the Texas redistricting map will take effect once Gov. Greg Abbott signs the bill into law, the proposed California maps could still be rejected by voters. "This special election will waste hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars on a rushed special election at a time when Californians are struggling with the cost of living, crime, and homelessness," Rankin, the California GOP chair, said. "It's an abuse of taxpayer money and a direct attack on democracy in our state." But Newsom is confident that California voters can help level the playing field. Currently, California Democrats hold 43 of the state's 52 congressional seats. The Newsom-backed maps would convert five Republican seats into districts that would heavily favor Democrats. "When all things are equal and we're all playing by the same set of rules, there's no question that the Republican party will be the minority party in the House of Representatives next year," Newsom said. "I couldn't be more proud of the extraordinary leaders who are standing up for the rule of law by standing up for the principles and the enduring values of the Founding Fathers."
Los Angeles Times
2 minutes ago
- Los Angeles Times
Judge says former Trump lawyer Alina Habba has been unlawfully serving as U.S. attorney in New Jersey
WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. — A federal judge ruled Thursday that President Trump's former lawyer, Alina Habba, has been unlawfully serving as the the top federal prosecutor in New Jersey. The court, saying the administration used 'a novel series of legal and personnel moves,' held that Habba's term as the interim U.S. attorney ended in July, and the Trump administration's maneuvers to keep her in the role without getting confirmation from the U.S. Senate didn't follow procedures required by federal law. 'Faced with the question of whether Ms. Habba is lawfully performing the functions and duties of the office of the United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey, I conclude that she is not,' Chief U.S. District Judge Matthew Brann wrote. The opinion says that Habba's actions since July 'may be declared void.' Brann, a President Obama appointee, said he's putting his order on hold pending an appeal. It wasn't immediately clear if that meant Habba would remain in charge of the U.S. attorney's office. A message seeking comment was sent to Habba's office Thursday. The Justice Department said it intends to appeal the ruling. Brann's decision comes in response to a filing on behalf of New Jersey defendants challenging Habba's tenure and the charges she was prosecuting against them. They sought to block the charges against them, arguing that Habba didn't have the authority to prosecute the case after her 120-day term as interim U.S. attorney expired in July. The defendants' motion to block Habba, a onetime White House advisor to President Trump and his former personal defense attorney, is another high-profile chapter in her short tenure. She made headlines when Trump named her U.S. attorney for New Jersey in March. She said the state could 'turn red,' a rare, overt political expression from a prosecutor, and said she planned to investigate the state's Democratic governor and attorney general. She then brought a trespassing charge, which was eventually dropped, against Newark Mayor Ras Baraka stemming from his visit to a federal immigration detention center. Habba later charged Democratic Rep. LaMonica McIver with assault stemming from the same incident, a rare federal criminal case against a sitting member of Congress other than for corruption. She denies the charges and has pleaded not guilty. Volatility over her tenure unfolded in late July when the four-month temporary appointment was coming to a close and it became clear that she would not get support from home state Sens. Cory Booker and Andy Kim, both Democrats, effectively torpedoing her chances of Senate approval. The president withdrew her nomination. Around the same time, federal judges in New Jersey exercised their power under the law to replace Habba with a career prosecutor when Habba's temporary appointment lapsed, but Atty. Gen. Pam Bondi fired that prosecutor and renamed Habba as acting U.S. attorney. In his opinion, Brann questioned the legal moves the administration conducted to keep Habba in place. 'Taken to the extreme, the President could use this method to staff the United States Attorney's office with individuals of his personal choice for an entire term without seeking the Senate's advice and consent,' he wrote. The Justice Department has said in filings that the judges acted prematurely and that the executive has the authority to appoint his preferred candidate to enforce federal laws in the state. Trump had formally nominated Habba as his pick for U.S. attorney on July 1, but Booker and Kim's opposition meant that under long-standing Senate practice known as senatorial courtesy, the nomination would stall out. A handful of other Trump picks for U.S. attorney are facing a similar circumstance. Catalini writes for the Associated Press.
