Zoran Mamdani, leading the polls in New York City’s mayoral election, has been hit with two criminal referrals from a group monitoring campaign finance, which claims he accepted illegal donations from foreign sources.
The Coolidge-Reagan Foundation lodged a complaint that suggests Mamdani potentially violated both federal and New York state election laws. This was reported to the Department of Justice and the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.
This development comes after reports earlier this month indicating that Mamdani’s campaign had gathered nearly $13,000 from around 170 contributors whose addresses were outside the U.S., including a donation from his mother-in-law living in Dubai.
“These aren’t just isolated incidents or simple mistakes,” remarked Dan Bakker, a national expert on campaign finance and president of the foundation, in a statement.
He further commented, “This is part of an ongoing trend of foreign money entering the New York City mayoral race, which blatantly breaches both federal and local campaign finance regulations. The Mamdani team has been warned multiple times about accepting foreign funds, yet they haven’t effectively addressed the issue.”
The Coolidge-Reagan Foundation, formerly involved in complaints against prominent political figures like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign, is urging for a thorough investigation and potential prosecution of Mamdani regarding illegal campaign contributions from various countries, including Australia and France.
The foundation pointed out that Mamdani’s campaign displayed a “systematic disregard” for campaign finance laws.
According to the Federal Election Campaign Act, it is unlawful to accept contributions from foreign nationals in any election at the federal, state, or local level.
Those who knowingly accept such foreign donations risk facing significant fines and potential prison time.
“The law clearly states that foreign nationals shouldn’t take part in American elections, which includes making donations,” Bakker elaborated. “However, the Mamdani campaign has continued to accept funds from overseas donors, some of whom have links to individuals and regions associated with hostile entities.”
He concluded, “Whether it’s due to negligence or something more deliberate, this behavior undermines the democratic process.”
Mamdani’s campaign seems to have returned some of the foreign contributions, yet records indicate at least 88 donations totaling $7,190 remain unreturned.
In total, his campaign has raised about $4 million from private donors and has received $12.7 million in public matching funds.
With the election day approaching in less than a month, Mamdani’s campaign currently has approximately $6.1 million in cash on hand.
Dora Pekek, a representative for Mamdani’s campaign, implied that certain questionable donations could be from Americans living abroad.
“All U.S. citizens and permanent residents, including those living outside the country, are allowed to contribute to the New York City mayoral race under federal, state, and city regulations,” Pekek stated.
She added, “Our campaign has strict compliance measures to ensure adherence to these laws and protocols to confirm that donors with foreign addresses are indeed U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents. We will promptly refund any contributions found to be invalid.”
No immediate comments were available from representatives of the Justice Department or the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office upon requests for clarification.
