Former senior City Hall official Tommy Lin is set to be sentenced this Thursday in a multi-million-dollar federal fraud case. Ahead of the hearing, several Chinese American community leaders have submitted letters to the court urging leniency, citing Lin’s long-standing public service and community involvement.
Lin, 44, was arrested in June 2024 for allegedly participating in a scheme that defrauded more than a dozen financial institutions out of at least $10 million by submitting false claims to trigger bank reimbursements.
Lin pleaded guilty this March to conspiracy to convert government records and property. Prosecutors say he played a role in the wide-ranging scheme by exploiting law enforcement contacts and government data. He is facing three federal charges, including bank fraud conspiracy, conspiracy to commit wire fraud affecting a financial institution and aggravated identity theft.
Lin’s attorney also submitted multiple letters from supporters, including his parents and community leaders, who spoke to Lin’s longstanding commitment to civic engagement and asked for a less harsh sentence for Lin.
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Lin served as director of community affairs in former Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration from 2014 to 2019 and acted as a senior advisor to the New York City Police Department’s Asian Advisory Council. Prior to his arrest, he worked as Queens community coordinator at the city’s Department of Environmental Protection.
Lin began his political career in the early 2000s in the office of then–Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum. He later served in the office of then–Public Advocate Bill de Blasio, played a role in de Blasio’s mayoral campaign, and went on to join his administration. At the time, Lin, who immigrated to the U.S. from Taiwan as a child, was one of the few Chinese Americans to rise to a senior position in New York City government.
When he was arrested in June of last year, his case stunned many in the Chinese community, where he was once seen as a bridge between immigrant neighborhoods and city institutions and a rising figure in New York City government.
Court records detail how Lin and his co-defendants, including Naifeng Xu, Zhongshi Gao, and Fei Jiang, used the identities of temporary immigrants from China or Taiwan residing in the U.S. to open bank accounts. Prosecutors stated that members of the conspiracy then transferred funds between accounts they controlled and falsely reported the transactions as unauthorized, tricking financial institutions into issuing refunds.
In one instance, Lin allegedly accepted a $20,000 cash bribe from Xu to help arrange the arrest of a disgruntled participant in the scheme by leveraging his connections to Henry Yau, an ICE deportation officer. Prosecutors say Lin also provided names and birthdates of potential account holders and conducted background checks on co-conspirators to ensure they weren’t under investigation by law enforcement.
Lin’s lawyer is asking for a non-custodial sentence involving community service, citing Lin’s lifelong struggle with cerebral palsy, social isolation, and what they described as a limited role in the conspiracy. They argue that Lin exaggerated his connections within city government to gain favor with Xu, and that in some cases, the personal data he shared was publicly accessible.
Wellington Chen is executive director of the Chinatown Partnership, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting economic development in Manhattan’s Chinatown. In one of the letters compiled by Lin’s lawyer, Chen said that over two decades of working with Lin, he had “never witnessed or have known of any instance that Tommy Lin committed an offense which constitutes as grave misconduct or actions showing his moral depravity.” Chen’s organization even honored Lin with a civil service award in 2019 and offered to accept his community service if ordered by the court.
In another letter, Kennith Chiu, co-founder and vice president of Asian American Communities Empowerment (BRACE), highlighted Lin’s volunteer work participating in Thanksgiving turkey giveaways and Mid-Autumn Festival mooncake distributions. Chiu noted that Lin had helped families in crisis, including those facing eviction and domestic violence.
Nevertheless, federal prosecutors are arguing that Lin’s actions were motivated by greed and are pushing for a minimum of 36 months’ imprisonment. In a letter sent last week, they noted that Lin grew up in a supportive household, received a solid education, and had a stable life with a decent salary as a city employee.
“The defendant was given every opportunity to succeed,” prosecutors wrote. “And he in fact succeeded.” They added that Lin’s case revealed that “the potential for the misuse of government records and corruption within law enforcement is real.”
Prosecutors also cited text messages in which Lin bragged about his ability to assist the fraud ring and demanded payment for his services. In one message obtained by the investigators, a co-conspirator wrote, “Brother Tommy is asking for $1500 for a set of stuff.” After boasting about helping arrange the arrest of a disgruntled participant in exchange for a $20,000 cash reward, Lin quickly followed up with the group to collect his payment. Another message from a co-conspirator noted: “Tommy is urging about money . . . Tommy is inviting me for dinner to get his money.”
Prosecutors disputed the defense’s claim that Lin was simply bluffing about his access to sensitive databases, noting that digital evidence from his phone showed he had transmitted a Canadian driver’s license, a Social Security card, and the names and birthdates of multiple individuals.
Moreover, investigators uncovered a side business in which Lin referred undocumented immigrants seeking asylum or green cards to a specific attorney in exchange for fees. Prosecutors argued that this arrangement gave Lin access to sensitive personal information of vulnerable individuals, many of whom were allegedly exploited in the fraud scheme.
Lin is scheduled to be sentenced on June 12 in federal court in Manhattan.
