"The elderly treasurer for a Brooklyn borough president candidate was sentenced to 200 hours of community service and three years probation for a failed straw donor scheme to scam the city out of hundreds of thousands of dollars in public matching funds. Erlene King, 72, who worked on the 2021 primary election campaign of Democrat Anthony Jones, was sentenced by Brooklyn Federal Court Carol Bagley Amon on Wednesday, after pleading guilty to wire fraud in January 2025."
"Prison for Erlene King, at 72 years of age and in poor health, both physically and mentally, would be a horrendous experience, essentially cruel and unusual punishment, given her unique circumstances. Society will not benefit from locking her up; she is no danger to others, and will never have the opportunity (never mind the inclination) to commit a crime again."
A 72-year-old campaign treasurer, Erlene King, pleaded guilty to wire fraud for attempting a straw-donor scheme to secure public matching funds during a 2021 Brooklyn primary campaign. Federal guidelines recommended 33 to 41 months in prison, but prosecutors declined to recommend a sentence and the judge imposed 200 hours of community service plus three years probation, citing compassion and King's poor health. King submitted $25,000 through CashApp to straw donors and provided five fictitious records aiming to trigger roughly $400,000 in 8-to-1 matching funds, but the city's Campaign Finance Board flagged and denied the request. The candidate, Anthony Jones, was not charged.
Read at New York Daily News
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