Latest news with #DaoYin
Yahoo
19 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ex-NY Assembly Dem candidate swiped $160K in taxpayer funds in illegal campaign finance scheme: feds
A former Democratic candidate for New York state Assembly allegedly stole $160,000 in taxpayer cash by defrauding the state's new campaign matching-funds program, federal prosecutors said Friday. 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. '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. '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 declined to comment on the pending legal matter.
New York Post
a day ago
- Politics
- New York Post
Ex-NY Assembly Dem candidate swiped $160K in taxpayer funds in illegal campaign finance scheme: feds
A former Democratic candidate for New York state Assembly allegedly stole $160,000 in taxpayer cash by defrauding the state's new campaign matching-funds program, federal prosecutors said Friday. 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.
New York Times
a day ago
- Politics
- New York Times
Ex-New York Assembly Candidate Charged With Campaign Finance Fraud
A former New York State Assembly candidate used fake donations and forged signatures to fraudulently inflate the share of public matching funds he received in last year's election, federal prosecutors said on Friday. The former candidate, Dao Yin, was charged with wire fraud in a federal criminal complaint. He was scheduled to make his initial appearance before a magistrate judge in Federal District Court in Brooklyn on Friday afternoon. The charging of Mr. Yin, a Democrat who ran for a State Assembly seat in Queens, came a year after The New York Times published an investigation that found he appeared to have listed dozens of fake donors to increase his allotment of money under a new state matching-funds program meant to increase the power of donors making small political contributions. Prosecutors said Mr. Yin, 62, had abused the system by using a scheme that The Times found yielded him $162,000 in matching funds. It was one of the largest sums received by an Assembly candidate last year, despite Mr. Yin's relatively unheralded status. He ultimately received just 6 percent of the vote in the Democratic primary, in which he challenged Ronald Kim, an incumbent assemblyman. Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn opened a criminal investigation focused on Mr. Yin in November. A lawyer for Mr. Yin could not immediately be reached for comment. Mr. Yin's campaign filings contained glaring red flags, The Times found. Half of the money he raised directly from individuals came in cash, the least traceable form of donation. It was a much higher proportion than the 5.2 percent average for all other Assembly candidates who participated in the matching program. Only nine of 300 contribution cards he turned in contained the required contact information for the donors, including phone numbers and email addresses. Even so, the state Public Campaign Finance Board granted him matching public funds, records show. Candidates must disclose certain information about their donors. But in Mr. Yin's case, the board permitted waivers via 'good-faith letters' that supposedly documented his efforts to obtain the missing information from donors. After The Times published its investigation into Mr. Yin, the Public Campaign Finance Board unanimously adopted an emergency resolution meant to tighten its rules and prevent future abuses. More than two dozen donors listed as contributors to Mr. Yin's campaign told The Times they had given money to it. Many expressed outrage that their names had been used. This is a developing story and will be updated. William K. Rashbaum contributed reporting.
