Angela Aquino, a 2025 candidate for New York City Public Advocate, pleaded guilty in federal court in Brooklyn to wire fraud tied to a scheme to obtain public matching campaign funds, and faces significant prison exposure pending sentencing. Officials say the scheme aimed to secure roughly $1 million in taxpayer-funded matching funds by concealing the true sources of deposits and submitting falsified contribution materials to the City’s Campaign Finance Board.
Earlier today in federal court in Brooklyn, Angela Aquino, a 2025 candidate for New York City Public Advocate, pleaded guilty to wire fraud in connection with her scheme to defraud New York City’s campaign finance system to obtain public matching funds. The case focuses on how Aquino’s committee reported and supported contributions in order to appear eligible for the city matching program. Federal prosecutors say the deposits and paperwork submitted to the Campaign Finance Board were manipulated to meet program thresholds the campaign had not legitimately satisfied.
Aquino, 47, faces a statutory sentence of up to 20 years in prison when she is sentenced, and the plea was accepted before United States Magistrate Judge Vera Scanlon. The guilty plea was announced by Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; Nadia I. Shihata, Commissioner, New York City Department of Investigation; and James C. Barnacle, Jr., Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office. Prosecutors emphasize the seriousness of the allegations given the public nature of the funds at issue and the safeguards meant to prevent abuse.
United States Attorney Nocella commented on the nature of the misconduct. “The defendant, a former candidate for city office, admitted today that she attempted to defraud New York City of $1 million in public funds,” stated United States Attorney Nocella. “Her brazen efforts threaten the integrity of our local democratic processes.”
The Department of Investigation framed the case around honesty and taxpayer protections. “New Yorkers deserve a baseline of integrity from candidates running for public office, an attribute this defendant – through her actions – demonstrated she clearly lacked,” stated DOI Commissioner Shihata.
Shihata’s statement continued with a detailed account of the alleged conduct and its consequences. “As a candidate for NYC Public Advocate, this defendant attempted to fraudulently obtain $1 million in public matching funds by obscuring the true source of the funds flowing into her campaign committee’s bank account. The defendant also used some of her campaign funds to pay her personal expenses, including rent for her apartment. New York City’s Matching Funds Program is supported by taxpayer dollars, and those who seek these funds must follow the law. I thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York and the New York Office of the FBI for their partnership in protecting the integrity of our campaign finance system.”
The FBI also weighed in on enforcement priorities tied to the case and the broader fraud task force. “Angela Aquino’s attempt to defraud the City of New York is disgraceful and unacceptable. Any theft of taxpayer money will be fully investigated and prosecuted. In support of the Vice President’s Fraud Task Force, FBI New York will continue to work diligently to protect the public from fraud in all forms,” stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Barnacle. Federal authorities noted that the investigation and prosecution reflect ongoing efforts to safeguard public programs from abuse.
The city’s Campaign Finance Board operates a voluntary public-financing program that matches small-dollar donations at an $8-to-$1 rate once candidates meet two eligibility thresholds: collecting a minimum number of contributions of $10 or more and reaching a minimum aggregate of qualifying contributions from city residents. To qualify specifically as a candidate for Public Advocate, a committee must show it raised at least $125,000 from at least 500 qualifying contributors, and contributions for eligibility are capped at $100 per contributor for matching calculations.
Prosecutors allege Aquino’s campaign never legitimately met that threshold but took active steps to make it appear it had. In early 2025, Aquino’s personal bank account reportedly received more than $130,000 that originated from the Philippines, including at least $34,000 identified as a loan from a contact there. Investigators say Aquino and others repeatedly withdrew cash from her personal account and deposited those funds into the campaign bank account, then presented those deposits to the Campaign Finance Board as eligible contributions from New York residents with signed contribution cards that were falsified.
The indictment and plea papers describe additional tactics allegedly used to mask the money’s origin and inflate reported totals. Aquino is accused of cycling funds through intermediary accounts controlled by friends and associates to obscure sources, of using campaign funds to cover personal expenses such as apartment rent while falsely reporting those outlays as campaign expenditures, and of mischaracterizing relationships with vendors and landlords when questioned by federal agents. Those actions, prosecutors say, were intended to secure public funds the campaign was not entitled to receive.
The Office’s Public Integrity Section is handling the government’s case, with Assistant United States Attorneys Laura Zuckerwise and Sean Sherman leading the prosecution and assistance from Paralegal Specialist Melissa Bennett. The matter now moves toward sentencing where the court will weigh the admitted conduct, the statutory range, and the government’s filing in determining punishment.
