Flushing resident Dao Yin was arrested on Friday the 13th and charged with wire fraud in Brooklyn federal court for allegedly stealing more than $160,000 in campaign matching funds from New York State taxpayers during his failed attempt as a Democratic candidate for the New York State Assembly in 2024.
Yin is accused of reporting false campaign donations — including forged signatures of purported contributors — to secure matching funds. The 62-year-old Yin was arraigned Friday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Vera M. Scanlon after a criminal complaint was unsealed that alleged he registered his campaign committee with the New York State Public Campaign Finance Program and submitted fraudulent forms and obtained approximately $162,800 in public matching funds as he challenged Assembly Member Ron Kim in last year’s Democratic primary.
“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,” U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Joseph Nocella said. “Today’s arrest demonstrates that this Office will protect the integrity of elections and pursue candidates for elected office who violate campaign finance law.” Nocella expressed his appreciation to the New York State Public Campaign Finance Board (PCFB) for its assistance during the investigation.
“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 Department of Justice’s Criminal Division. “Fraud and public corruption threaten the integrity of our elections and will not be tolerated. The Criminal Division remains committed to aggressively prosecuting frauds that undermine U.S. interests and waste public funds.
If convicted of all charges, Yin faces a maximum sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison.
“As charged, this former candidate for the New York State Assembly manipulated the campaign finance system through fraudulent campaign contributions in order to claim matching funds that he was not eligible to receive,” NYC Department of Investigation Commissioner Jocelyn Strauber said. “DOI and our law enforcement partners in the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York and the FBI remain committed to protecting the integrity of the campaign system and public dollars.”
FBI Assistant Director in Charge Christopher G. Raia noted that Yin allegedly fabricated support to unlawfully receive the public matching funds.
“Yin also allegedly abused his position to defraud a matching funds program that could have been used to support other candidates for state office,” he said.
Yin was released on a $75,000 bond.
“Mr. Dao is a hardworking immigrant who lived the American dream, becoming a community leader and running for office,” his attorney Benjamin Silverman said in a statement following Yin’s arraignment.
