A former Democratic candidate for New York state Assembly has been accused of stealing $160,000 in taxpayer funds through fraudulent means in order to take advantage of the state’s campaign matching-funds program, according to federal prosecutors.
Dao Yin, who ran for the Assembly’s 40th District in Queens last year but lost, was charged with wire fraud and appeared in Brooklyn federal court on Friday.
The allegations suggest that Yin submitted fake signatures to inflate the number of campaign contributions he received, thereby increasing the amount of public matching funds he was eligible to receive.
“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.
Yin, a Queens resident and Chinese national, allegedly submitted more than 200 contribution cards to the state Public Campaign Finance Board, many of which were fraudulent, according to the complaint against him.
The suspicious forged signatures prompted the CFB to request letters from the donors to verify the legitimacy of the contributions. However, Yin reportedly submitted fake letters in response, deceiving the finance board in the process.
Yin’s dismal performance in the primary election, where he received only around 6% of the vote, raised further suspicions.
With only approximately 185 votes, Yin had more contributors than actual voters.
