By Forum Staff
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz on Monday announced that a Flushing man has been charged with administering acupuncture treatments he was not licensed to perform that caused a woman’s lungs to collapse.
Yong De Lin, 66, was arraigned on Monday on a four-count indictment charging him with assault in the first and second degrees, reckless endangerment in the first degree and unauthorized practice of a profession.
According to the charges:
On May 10, 2022, Shujuan Jiang, 63, visited C&W Medical at 38-08 Union St. in Flushing for relief of stomach and back pain and was introduced to Lin.
On May 16, Jiang returned and Lin administered acupuncture treatments to her stomach and back. Jiang returned for 16 additional treatments between May 18 and Oct. 28.
During the last session, Jiang began to feel unwell after receiving treatment and laid down. After performing additional acupuncture and a cupping treatment, Lin sent Jiang home.
Photo Courtesy of Google
Lin worked out of a medical office located at 38-08 Union St. in Flushing.
Jiang experienced shortness of breath on her way home and collapsed on the sidewalk. A bystander called 911 and Jiang was taken to a hospital where it was determined that both of her lungs had collapsed because of the acupuncture treatments. Immediate surgery was required to save her life. Jiang remained hospitalized for six days.
Lin is not a licensed acupuncturist, nor has he ever applied for the required state licensure.
“The difference between receiving health care from a competent, licensed professional or someone who is unlicensed can mean the difference between life and death. As alleged, the defendant was not licensed, nor had even bothered to apply for licensure, and he very nearly killed his patient,” Katz said. “We urge any other victims to come forward.”
Katz urges anyone who has received acupuncture treatments from Lin, who worked from a medical office in Flushing, to contact her office’s Elder Fraud unit at (718) 286-6578.
If convicted, Lin faces up to 25 years in prison.
