Defendant Allegedly Filed False Campaign Disclosure Reports
to Conceal His Thefts
A criminal complaint was unsealed today in federal court in
Brooklyn charging Maruf Alam with wire fraud in connection with his theft of
more than $80,000 in campaign contributions from a New York State Assemblyman’s
campaign account. Alam was arrested this
morning, made his initial appearance this afternoon before United States
Magistrate Judge Sanket J. Bulsara, and was released on a $100,000 bond.
Richard P. Donoghue, United States Attorney for the Eastern
District of New York, and William F. Sweeney, Jr., Assistant
Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office
(FBI), announced the charges.
“As alleged, Alam was caught red-handed using a New York
State Assemblyman’s campaign account as his personal piggy bank,” stated United
States Attorney Donoghue. “Alam betrayed
the trust placed in him to act honestly as the treasurer for the account, and
then attempted to cover up his crime by filing false disclosure reports for
years. Today’s arrest makes clear that
dishonest public employees will face the consequences of their crimes and be
prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
Mr. Donoghue extended his grateful appreciation to the enforcement staff
at the New York State Board of Elections (NYSBOE) for their assistance during
the investigation.
“As alleged, Alam violated the trust of an elected New York
State Assemblyman by brazenly diverting more than $80,000 in campaign contributions
to his own personal accounts,” stated FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge
Sweeney. “Alam went to great lengths to
conceal his fraud, including traveling to China to illicitly withdraw funds
from a campaign account and then filing false disclosure reports with the New
York State Board of Elections. Today’s
action should serve as a reminder that the FBI will continue to bring to
justice those who aim to exploit positions of public trust to satisfy their
selfish greed.”
According to the complaint, since 2008 Alam was employed in
various capacities, including chief of staff, for a New York State
Assemblyman. Alam also acted on a
voluntary basis as the treasurer for the Assemblyman’s campaign account, and
was responsible for filing periodic disclosure reports with the NYSBOE to
disclose contributions received and expenditures made by the Assemblyman’s
campaign committee. From approximately
January 2012 to January 2019, Alam allegedly stole campaign funds that had been
contributed to support the candidacy of the Assemblyman, and deposited the cash
into his personal account. For example,
campaign account records disclose that on November 9, 2015 and November 13,
2015, two ATM withdrawals from the campaign account were made at two locations
in China. Travel records reflect that
Alam traveled to China on November 5, 2015, and returned to the United States
on November 19, 2015. In total, during
the relevant time period, the Assemblyman’s campaign account records reflect
approximately $80,000 in cash withdrawals by Alam that were not reported to
NYSBOE.
The charges in the complaint are allegations and the
defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted, Alam faces a statutory maximum
of 20 years’ imprisonment.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s
Public Integrity Section. Assistant
United States Attorneys Nathan Reilly and Maria Cruz Melendez are in charge of
the prosecution
The Defendant:
MARUF ALAM
Age: 29
Brooklyn, New York
E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 19-MJ-710
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