A Turkish Democratic Party mega-donor who poured millions of dollars into the campaigns of Kamala Harris and Barack Obama is under intense scrutiny following an indictment by New York City Mayor Eric Adams.
Murat Guzel, 63, donated about $10,000 to Adams' mayoral campaign, and the federal government said Adams received illegal donations from Turkish authorities that he concealed through “straw donors,” according to court documents. He is accused of
A lawyer representing Guzel denied that the Turkish-American businessman was one of the straw donors and said he was not participating in the ongoing investigation into Adams by the Southern District of New York. Ta.
But Mr. Guzel has strong ties to the Turkish government, and some of his past political donations have been given to Imad Shah, a Pakistani-American venture capitalist who is currently in prison after being convicted as a foreign agent. This is being done with the help of Mr. Zuberi.
“They worked closely together,” a former federal official told the Post this week.
Mr. Gsell cooperated with authorities and was granted immunity from prosecution in connection with the federal investigation into Zuberi. He has not been accused of any wrongdoing.
Gusell, who owns a food importing company, donated $25,000 to Harris' Victory Fund in April. Photos he posted online show him shaking hands with former President Barack Obama, current President Joe Biden and actor Robert De Niro, a longtime party supporter. Documents also show he has donated more than $660,000 to Democratic campaigns and political action committees across the country.
Mr. Gusel was instrumental in Pennsylvania Democratic Party politics, and was particularly close to state Sen. Bob Casey, who is credited with introducing him to party bigwigs. He also donated more than $20,000 to Casey's re-election campaign.
He also donated $100,000 to a project run by Casey's wife, Therese Casey, to raise funds for the state's 250th anniversary in 2026.
According to federal filings, Guzel has also donated to Sens. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania and Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, and has given more than $220,000 to the Democratic National Committee alone. There is.
In 2012, Gusel also served as a Pennsylvania delegate who nominated Barack Obama as the Democratic presidential candidate for re-election.
“I was the first Turkish-American to do that,” he said. Turkish Network Magazine He praised his role, adding that he also held other important positions within the party, including the Democratic senatorial campaign.
“In this capacity, I was one of the 50 people authorized to hear opinions from all parties involved and resolve intra-party disputes,” he told Turkish Network.
@murat_guzel_usa/Instagram
At the time, Gusell was working with a venture capitalist in California. Zuberiaccording to sources.
Zuberi was a top fundraiser for Barack Obama's 2012 re-election campaign and is a “major donor to political candidates and campaigns, including his own name, the name of his spouse, and his “He had donated millions of dollars in the name of his venture capital firm Avenue Ventures,” the court filing states.
Mr. Zuberi also donated more than $10,000 to Mr. Casey's re-election campaign in 2012 and 2013, according to federal filings.
In 2015, he was known as the “Hillblazer” because he donated more than $100,000 in the first months of Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign. He also made significant contributions to Republican candidates.
However, Zuberi pleaded guilty in 2019 to illegally acting as a lobbyist for a foreign government and making illegal campaign contributions.
He was convicted in 2021 of acting as a foreign agent in Sri Lanka and elsewhere and sentenced to 12 years in prison. According to reports.
Guzel was born in Türkiye, where he studied electrical engineering and now runs a food importing company in Whitehall, Pennsylvania.
According to reports, he is a founding member of the Turkish American National Steering Committee, a US-based nonprofit organization with close ties to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Washington Free Beacon.
Guzel was also the chairman and co-founder of MUSIAD USA, a group of Muslim Turkish businessmen close to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. In May 2021, the group issued a statement on its Facebook page criticizing “Israeli occupation forces and fanatic Jews” during the 2021 Gaza war.
“MUSIAD is a Turkish economic organization that is very close to the Turkish government,” said a Turkish-American professor who requested anonymity. “I think someone like Murat Guzel should be scrutinized for any relationship he has with Erdoğan.”
The paper said he briefed Erdogan's son, Bilal Erdogan, on Turkey, the president's enemy in the United States.
And in a 2014 email: wikileaks, “Supporting Erdoğan and doing all we can against evil forces is not just an act of kindness, but rather an act of It is an Islamic obligation for everyone.”
In 2017, Guzel also defended Erdogan after bodyguards at the Turkish embassy in Washington brutally attacked demonstrators protesting his visit to the United States.
Nearly a dozen people were injured outside the Turkish ambassador's residence in what police called a “brutal attack on peaceful protesters.”
Mr. Adams has maintained his innocence to the charges against him and has refused numerous calls to resign as mayor.
