New York City mayoral frontrunner Zohran Mamdani was hit with two criminal referrals Tuesday filed by a campaign finance watchdog accusing the lefty socialist of accepting illegal contributions from foreign donors.
The Coolidge Reagan Foundation filed the referrals – alleging Mamdani may have violated the Federal Election Campaign Act and New York Election Code – with the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office on Tuesday.
The referrals were filed after The Post reported earlier this month Mamdani’s campaign raked in nearly $13,000 in contributions from at least 170 donors with addresses outside the US – including one 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, said 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 added. “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 lodged complaints against Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign and the Democratic National Committee – urged Bragg and the DOJ to investigate and prosecute Mamdani over the potentially illegal campaign cash, which flowed in from Australia, Turkey, France, Canada, Germany and other countries.
The group argued Mamdani’s campaign has demonstrated a “systematic failure to comply” with campaign finance laws.
Under the Federal Election Campaign Act it is unlawful to “accept or receive” contributions from foreign nationals in any federal, state, or local election.
Violators who knowingly accept foreign donations could face hefty fines and imprisonment.
“The law is crystal clear that foreign nationals may not participate in American elections, and that includes making contributions,” Backer 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 returned some of the foreign contributions, records show at least 88 donations totalling $7,190 have not been given back.
Mamdani’s campaign has raised about $4 million in private donations and has received $12.7 million in public matching funds.
With less than a month to go before election day, the Mamdani campaign has roughly $6.1 million in cash on hand.
Mamdani campaign spokesperson Dora Pekec suggested that some of the questionable donations may have come from Americans living abroad.
“All US citizens and permanent residents, including those who live outside the US, are legally permitted to donate to New York City mayoral campaigns under federal campaign finance law and New York State and City law,” Pekec told Fox News Digital.
“The Campaign has a rigorous compliance process in place to ensure compliance with these laws, including a protocol to confirm whether donors with foreign addresses are U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents,” Pekec added. “The Campaign will promptly issue refunds for any donations that are found to be impermissible.”
The DOJ and Manhattan DA’s office spokesperson did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
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