NEW YORK, NY— A former candidate for New York City public advocate was charged with wire fraud after federal prosecutors accused her of orchestrating a scheme to fraudulently obtain $1 million in public matching funds through the city’s campaign finance system.
Angela Aquino was arrested Thursday and appeared in federal court in Brooklyn after prosecutors unsealed a criminal complaint detailing what investigators described as a months-long effort to manipulate campaign finance rules.
According to prosecutors, Aquino inflated campaign fundraising totals using overseas money, falsified contribution records and recycled funds through associates to qualify for taxpayer-funded campaign matching dollars.
“The defendant, a former candidate for citywide office, allegedly engaged in a months’ long brazen scheme to obtain fraudulently $1 million in public funds, exploiting a matching funds program designed to reduce corruption in the city’s campaign finance system,” U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. said in a statement.
The New York City Campaign Finance Board’s matching funds program provides candidates with public dollars at an 8-to-1 ratio for qualifying small donations from city residents. To qualify for the program in a public advocate race, candidates must raise at least $125,000 from at least 500 eligible contributors.
Federal prosecutors said Aquino’s campaign never legitimately reached that threshold.
Investigators alleged Aquino’s personal bank account received more than $130,000 from the Philippines during the first months of 2025, including at least $34,000 identified as a loan from a contact there.
Prosecutors said Aquino and others repeatedly withdrew cash from her personal account and deposited it into campaign accounts, later falsely identifying the money as legitimate donations from New York City residents eligible for public matching funds.
Authorities also accused Aquino of submitting falsified contribution cards containing forged signatures and fabricated donor information.
According to the complaint, Aquino also moved money out of campaign accounts and back in through accounts belonging to friends and associates to artificially inflate contribution totals while obscuring the true source of the funds.
The complaint further alleges Aquino used campaign funds to cover personal expenses, including rent payments for her apartment, while falsely reporting the expenditures as campaign-related costs.
Prosecutors said Aquino later lied to federal agents about those payments, claiming her landlords assisted with campaign activities.
“In fact, Aquino’s landlords had nothing to do with her campaign,” prosecutors wrote in the complaint.
FBI Assistant Director in Charge James Barnacle said Aquino “allegedly attempted to steal one million dollars from New York taxpayers by fraudulently inflating her campaign’s bank account.”
If convicted, Aquino faces up to 20 years in prison.
The charge remains an allegation, and Aquino is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
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