U.S. Attorney Breon S. Peace | U.S. Department of Justice
Erlene King, a campaign treasurer involved in the 2021 election cycle for the Brooklyn Borough President's office, pleaded guilty to wire fraud charges in a federal court in Brooklyn. The charges relate to her attempt to defraud New York City's Campaign Finance Board (CFB) by manipulating funds intended for public financing of municipal elections. United States District Judge Carol Bagley Amon presided over the proceedings, and King faces a potential sentence of up to 20 years in prison.
The announcement of King's guilty plea was made by Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, alongside James E. Dennehy, Assistant Director in Charge at the FBI's New York Field Office. Attorney Peace emphasized that "instead of playing by the rules New York City established for free and fair elections," King attempted to misuse the city's matching funds program to benefit her candidate unfairly. He reiterated his office's commitment to eliminating corruption from electoral processes.
Dennehy echoed these sentiments, stating that King's actions deprived residents of a fair election and that she abused her position as a campaign treasurer. "The FBI remains steadfast in its mission to eliminate any source of corruption polluting our city’s democratic processes," he added.
The CFB plays a critical role in administering publicly funded campaign finance systems within New York City elections. Its matching funds program provides public funds based on donor contributions and aims to increase voter engagement by encouraging candidates to raise small-dollar donations from average citizens.
In this case, candidates running for Brooklyn Borough President during the 2021 election cycle could receive up to $8 in matching funds per eligible $1 contribution from donors, with specific thresholds required before accessing these funds. However, King's fraudulent activities involved obtaining illegitimate donations through various means such as straw donors or identity thefts. These fraudulent contributions were designed to illicitly secure matching funds for Candidate #1's campaign but ultimately resulted in no public funds being disbursed due to fictitious records submitted.
Assistant United States Attorneys Philip Pilmar and Eric Silverberg are prosecuting the case with support from Paralegal Specialist Rachel Friedman under the Office’s Public Integrity Section.
