Courts and Law Downtown

Chinese billionaire pleads guilty to fraud and illegal campaign contributions in EDNY

March 20, 2024 Robert Abruzzese, Courthouse Editor

Billionaire Chinese national Hui Qin pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including immigration fraud and making illegal political contributions, and faced additional accusations of violent behavior, including property damage and assaulting his ex-wife. Photos provided by the EDNY show the ax Hui Qin used and the bedroom closet he used it on, as well as his ex-wife’s neck after he allegedly strangled her.Photos courtesy of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the EDNY

Billionaire Chinese national Hui Qin pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including immigration fraud and making illegal political contributions, and faced additional accusations of violent behavior, including property damage and assaulting his ex-wife. Photos provided by the EDNY show the ax Hui Qin used and the bedroom closet he used it on, as well as his ex-wife’s neck after he allegedly strangled her.
Photos courtesy of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the EDNY

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Hui Qin, a billionaire from China previously recognized in Forbes Magazine, entered a guilty plea in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York to various charges, including making anonymous political contributions, committing immigration fraud, and creating a false identification document. Additionally, he faced charges of criminal mischief for forcibly breaking into a bedroom closet with an ax and allegations of strangling his ex-wife.

As part of his plea, Qin agreed to abandon his Lawful Permanent Resident status in the United States and now faces removal from the country.

The charges stem from Qin’s involvement in a scheme to make over $10,000 in straw donations to various political candidates and fraudulently obtaining a green card and a Florida driver’s license using aliases.

Qin has been in custody since his arrest on Oct. 2, 2023, and could be sentenced to up to 27 years in prison. The plea, which occurred in front of U.S. Magistrate Steven Tiscione, was announced by Breon Peace, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, alongside officials from the FBI, IRS-Criminal Investigation, and Homeland Security Investigations.

“Qin pleaded guilty today to engaging in a brazen web of deception, spreading lies to federal election and immigration authorities and a state agency,” Peace said. “Ensuring election integrity and rooting out campaign contribution fraud are priorities of the Department of Justice, including my Office. No one is above the law, no matter their wealth or station in society, and this Office will vigorously prosecute all criminals who lie to government agencies to further their own ends.”

Between December 2021 and December 2022, Qin orchestrated a scheme to make straw donor contributions to various political campaigns, including those of a New York City Public Official, a United States representative from New York and a Congressional candidate from Rhode Island. By soliciting others to make contributions in their names, which he would then reimburse, Qin attempted to circumvent federal election laws that prohibit making contributions in the name of another person.

Qin utilized a fraudulent alias, “Muk Lam Li,” provided by a PRC government official in 2008, to conduct financial transactions and ultimately to secure Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR) status in the United States under false pretenses. In partnership with Co-conspirator 1, he submitted falsified immigration documents to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), denying the use of any aliases.

In December 2020, Qin traveled to Florida with the intention of obtaining a fraudulent driver’s license. He provided the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) with false documents to prove residency and signed a statement under penalty of perjury claiming these documents were true, thereby obtaining a Florida Driver’s License under false pretenses.

On Sept. 22, 2023, Qin was arrested following a 911 call reporting he had used an ax to break into a bedroom closet at a residence in Old Westbury, New York. The incident, occurring in the presence of his minor son and ex-mother-in-law, led to charges of Criminal Mischief. This violent act followed a previous altercation where Qin strangled Jane Doe 1, his ex-wife, during an argument on July 25, 2022.

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