A watchdog organization has filed a federal election complaint against New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, claiming she misused campaign funds. The complaint alleges her campaign paid Boston psychiatrist Dr. Brian Boyle nearly $19,000 for what they labeled as “leadership training and consulting.”
On March 27, the National Law and Policy Center (NLPC) submitted a complaint to the Federal Election Commission (FEC) and the Office of Congressional Conduct (OCC). They are seeking an investigation into Ocasio-Cortez, her campaign committee, and her treasurer regarding three payments totaling $18,725 made to Boyle in 2025.
“The NLPC asserts that the funds disbursed to Dr. Brian W. Boyle were supposedly for ‘leadership training and consulting,’ but were, in fact, used for personal psychiatric services for Ocasio-Cortez and her campaign staff,” stated Paul Kamenar, general counsel for NLPC in the complaint. “Consequently, these expenses were inaccurately reported by the FEC’s Campaign Committee.
“The NLPC calls for the FEC and OCC to investigate these payments immediately and impose appropriate penalties and actions against Ocasio-Cortez.”
Boyle is noted as an “interventional psychiatrist” who focuses on treating depression, PTSD, and anxiety, particularly through ketamine therapy.
“Dr. Boyle does not offer any sort of ‘leadership training’ or ‘consulting’ services to political candidates,” the complaint highlighted. Attempts to reach both Dr. Boyle and Ocasio-Cortez’s campaign for clarification went unanswered.
The payments in question were dated March 10, May 15, and October 1, 2025, and classified as “Leadership Training and Consulting.” The complaint lists these transactions as $11,550, $2,800, and $4,375, totaling $18,725.
It asserts that, under federal election law and House Ethics Guidelines, campaign funds must not be used for personal expenses. The key issue, according to the complaint, revolves around whether the expenditures were for services genuinely connected to the campaign. If they were for therapeutic reasons, they could be considered illegal personal use. The filing cites FEC and House standards that emphasize the need for truthful and verifiable campaign spending.
“There are grounds to believe that AOC’s use of campaign funds for a psychiatrist who isn’t a qualified ‘leadership trainer’ was not for valid campaign purposes but rather for her personal psychiatric care,” Kamenar wrote.
The allegations come after a report in the New York Post mentioned Boyle as an expert in interventional psychiatry, particularly noted for his work with ketamine, a controlled substance involved in the treatment of the late actor Matthew Perry.
The complaint itself does not prove any misconduct, but it requests that regulators investigate whether the payments were misrepresented or broke campaign finance rules.
Ocasio-Cortez’s campaign and office have yet to respond to requests for comment.
She has been open about needing therapy in the past, saying, “Oh yeah, I’m in therapy, but it’s just slowed me down,” in a 2021 interview.
Additionally, she has advocated for re-evaluating Schedule I drugs to encourage scientific research and explore the medical potential of psychedelics like marijuana, psilocybin, and MDMA.
Ocasio-Cortez remarked, “Our laws currently claim these drugs have no medical use, but science tells a different story,” during a recent committee hearing. She expressed concern that harsh penalties related to Schedule I drugs have not lessened overdose rates in Florida; in fact, they may be worsening the situation.
