QUEENS, N.Y. — Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced a 161-count indictment against six defendants accused of engaging in voter fraud during the June 2023 Primary for New York City Council District 20. The defendants are charged with criminal possession of a forged instrument, falsifying business records, illegal voting, and other related crimes in connection with the campaign of candidate Yu-Ching James Pai.
District Attorney Katz stated, “Our democracy relies on integrity at the voting booth, and we will not allow that to be compromised in Queens County. As alleged in this case, the defendants went to the Board of Elections and filed fraudulent absentee ballot applications on behalf of 23 voters they had never met. I thank my Public Corruption Bureau and the Board of Elections for their assistance in this investigation.”
Board of Elections Deputy Executive Director Vincent Ignizio added, “The Board of Elections is proud to work with our government partners on the federal, state, and local level to refer and support election integrity investigations. We thank District Attorney Katz and her staff for working with us to protect and ensure elections in NYC are free and fair for all.”
The defendants—Sydnee Pai, 19; Li Zhen Wan, 46; Yee Ping Yam, 53; Lisbeth Cheng, 24; and Crystal You, 20—were arraigned today before Supreme Court Justice Leigh K. Cheng and are scheduled to return to court on September 19. They each face up to seven years in prison if convicted of the top charge. A sixth defendant will be arraigned at a later date.
Charges Against Defendants:
- Sydnee Pai and Lisbeth Cheng: Two counts each of criminal possession of a forged instrument in the second degree, falsifying business records in the first degree, illegal voting, offering a false instrument for filing in the first degree, criminal possession of a forged instrument in the third degree, falsifying business records in the second degree, and offering a false instrument for filing in the second degree.
- Li Zhen Wan, Yee Ping Yam, and Crystal You: Four counts each of criminal possession of a forged instrument in the second degree, falsifying business records in the first degree, illegal voting, offering a false instrument for filing in the first degree, criminal possession of a forged instrument in the third degree, falsifying business records in the second degree, and offering a false instrument for filing in the second degree.
Case Details:
- Between March 1, 2023, and June 27, 2023, the defendants volunteered for Pai’s City Council campaign.
- They visited the New York City Board of Elections office in Forest Hills to collect ballots for purported absentee voters.
- The defendants returned these ballots, listing themselves as the authorized individuals to pick them up.
- An investigation began after a voter reported being told they had already voted upon arriving at their polling location.
- Investigations revealed that multiple individuals had not filled out or signed the applications, never met the defendants, and never received absentee ballots.
- In total, 23 Queens County voters had absentee ballot applications and ballots fraudulently submitted in their names.
The indictment follows a thorough investigation by the Queens District Attorney’s office, leading to the surrender of five out of six defendants to the Queen’s District Attorney’s Office.
Assistant District Attorney Gabriella Giunta of the Public Corruption Bureau is prosecuting the case, supervised by Assistant District Attorney Khadijah Muhammad-Starling, Bureau Chief, and Christine Oliveri, Deputy Bureau Chief.
