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.