The Epoch Times interviewed many Flushing residents, including reputable politicians, a former City Councilmember, senior journalists, active public figures, business clients, bus companies, those claiming to have been victims of fraud, and others who have known her for more than 20 years.
This report is the first product of our continuing investigation of Ellen Young. To protect the witnesses, The Epoch Times will not at this time disclose the names of some of the interviewees.
Campaigning for Election
Some residents witnessed on the morning of the primary election on Sept. 12, 2006 that Young followed the voters into elementary schools being used as polling places.
According to witnesses she would say something like, “My name is Ellen Young. My name is in this position on the ballot. Please cast your vote for me.”
The New York state election regulations clearly stipulate that campaigning activities are strictly prohibited within 100 feet of the entrance of the polling place or in the polling place.
Some voters also are willing to testify that Young followed some voters into the voting booth to “help the voters to vote.”
A news program broadcast by a local Chinese television station showed on Election Day that City Councilman John Liu, who has supported Young, held up high campaign materials and shouted, “Please vote for Ellen Young!” In this scene, a few elderly voters were in front of him, and in the immediate background was the front door of the polling place.
The “New York Community Times” reported on July 22, 2006, that contributions to Young were not voluntary, but were demanded.
Young grumbled and muttered until he did as she demanded.
Young won the election by only 71 votes. Some local residents claim that, if there had been no improper actions, Young would not have been elected in the primary.
Partnership With Husband
According to various sources and earlier media reports, at least eight Taiwan immigrants complained that Young and her husband, Johnny Kuo-huang Cheng, cheated them out of large sums of money.
Mr. Zhuang said he was deceived by Young and her husband out of $50,000 in the name of purchasing a store to obtain a green card (permanent residence status). In the “waiting period” afterwards, Young used all kinds of excuses to “borrow” money. Amounts varied from $3,000, $5,000, the total was not less than an additional $10,000. She never returned the borrowed money.The store purchase did not go through, and Young never kept her promise to Zhuang that he would obtain a green card. After Zhuang realized that he had been deceived several times, he often asked her and her husband for the return of his money, but in vain. He eventually found another attorney and easily obtained his green card.
Mrs. Ji said she had met Young when she was applying for residential status. Young was working in an attorney’s office at the time. According to Mrs. Ji, Young used the opportunity to ask Mrs. Ji to invest $50,000 in Young’s ex-husband’s apartment building project. Although Mrs. Ji says she complied, Young did not process her application for her green card. Mrs. Ji says the $50,000 was hers and her three young children’s livelihood. They lived in poverty for many years thereafter because of this.
Young’s husband was convicted of fraud, and a year later, while out on parole, he fled from the U.S. Their marriage ended in a bitter divorce.
Young’s Immigration Business
In the letter, the woman, whose name will not be disclosed at this time, said that she had paid Young $400 in March of 1998 to deal with her naturalization case.
In the letter, while referring to Young, the woman states, “She just collected money without providing services which should be well done by her. . .” (Since the notarized letter was translated from Chinese, grammar errors remain uncorrected.)
The letter continues to state that Young charged her an additional $25, followed by another $200. After speaking with Young on the phone, the woman states, “I hung up the phone and visited her office, which is located on the first floor of her living place, she blocked me to coming in and asked me to get out right away, otherwise she will call police.”
The letter then states that, “Her attitude was so bad. Not only no service at all, but also threaten me by saying calling police since she knew that my English is poor having communication problem with police.”
Later, the woman managed to pass the INS interview without Young’s help. Young had merely filed her N-400 form, so the woman called Young’s office for a refund of all but the $125 paid for the part of her job that was fulfilled. In the letter, it is reported that Young responded, “No penny can be refunded; you can suit me!”
The woman had later tried to file a complaint with the NYC Consumer Association, but by that time, Young’s business had already gone bankrupt.
The letter concludes, “I believe that U.S. is a legal society, not only me but also many people in our Flushing community had experienced similar bitter cases by Ellen Young. So I write this letter above, hopefully, justice will win.”
Singtao Daily reported on Sept. 7, 2002 and again on Sept. 4, 2006, that Young’s company was accused of fraud. Two Chinese, Xia Shengmei and Zhou Qi went to the Hao Lisheng Friends of China Association and accused Young of taking their money without providing the service and then refusing to refund their money.
According to Singtao Daily, Zhou went to the court to ask for his money back on Aug. 9, 2004.
Zhou said in November, 2001, he went to Young to apply for his wife and child to immigrate to the United States. Zhou paid the agreed upon application and service fees of $1,500 in full.
Zhou says in 2002 he went to Young to ask about the case, and Young claimed that she didn’t have time to process the case because she was working as an assistant at John Liu’s office.
According to Zhou, she asked him to pay for an additional $2,500 if he wanted to continue the case. Zhou says he asked for a refund many times, but she paid no attention to him. Zhou says he then sought another lawyer and spent only $750 to get the job done.
Mrs. Xia Shengmei said she had paid Young fees for a citizenship application, but for a long time she didn’t hear from Young about getting the required interview.
According to Xia, she asked Young to refund her money for the services she did not provide, but Young refused and told Xia to leave immediately or she’d call the police.
In the end, the court declined Zhou’s case because Young’s company had gone bankrupt. Zhou never received his money back.
