Criminal Referral Issued against Mamdani re: Campaign Finance Violations

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New York City mayoral frontrunner Zohran Mamdani faces two criminal referrals filed Tuesday by a campaign finance watchdog alleging he accepted illegal donations from foreign contributors.

The Coolidge Reagan Foundation submitted the referrals to the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division and the office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, accusing Mamdani of potential violations of the Federal Election Campaign Act and the New York Election Code.

The filings follow a report earlier this month by The New York Post that Mamdani’s campaign had collected nearly $13,000 from at least 170 donors with addresses outside the United States, including one contribution from his mother-in-law in Dubai.

“These are not isolated incidents or clerical errors,” Dan Backer, a national campaign finance expert and president of the Coolidge Reagan Foundation, told The Post in a statement.

“This was a sustained pattern of foreign money flowing into a New York City mayoral race, which is a clear violation of both federal law and New York City campaign finance rules,” Backer noted further, per the outlet.

“Mamdani’s campaign was on notice for months that it was accepting illegal foreign contributions, and yet it did nothing meaningful to stop it.”

The Coolidge Reagan Foundation — which has previously filed complaints against Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign, and the Democratic National Committee — called on Bragg and the Justice Department to investigate and potentially prosecute Mamdani over the alleged illegal campaign contributions.

The group said the donations originated from countries including Australia, Turkey, France, Canada, and Germany, among others, The Post said.

The organization alleged that Mamdani’s campaign showed a “systematic failure to comply” with campaign finance regulations.

Under the Federal Election Campaign Act, it is illegal to “accept or receive” contributions from foreign nationals in any federal, state, or local election. Individuals who knowingly accept such donations may face substantial fines and potential imprisonment.

“The law is crystal clear that foreign nationals may not participate in American elections, and that includes making contributions,” Backer’s statement to The Post continued. “Yet Mamdani’s campaign repeatedly accepted donations from individuals abroad, some even tied to regions and individuals openly sympathetic to hostile actors.”

“Whether through negligence or intent, this conduct undermines the integrity of the democratic process.”

While the Mamdani campaign appears to have refunded some foreign contributions, records indicate that at least 88 donations totaling $7,190 have not been returned. The campaign has raised approximately $4 million in private contributions and received an additional $12.7 million in public matching funds.

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