New York City mayoral frontrunner Zohran Mamdani is facing two criminal referrals filed Tuesday by a campaign finance watchdog that accuses him of illegally accepting donations from foreign contributors.
The Coolidge Reagan Foundation submitted the complaints to both the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division and the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, alleging that Mamdani’s campaign violated the Federal Election Campaign Act as well as the New York Election Code.
The filings follow a report from The New York Post earlier this month revealing that Mamdani’s campaign had taken in nearly $13,000 from around 170 donors with addresses outside the United States — including one contribution reportedly from his mother-in-law in Dubai.
“These weren’t just minor errors or isolated oversights,” said Dan Backer, president of the Coolidge Reagan Foundation and a national campaign finance attorney. “This represents an ongoing pattern of foreign money entering a New York City mayoral race, in direct violation of federal and city campaign finance laws.”
Backer added that Mamdani’s campaign “had been aware for months that it was receiving prohibited foreign donations but took no serious steps to stop it.”
The Coolidge Reagan Foundation — which has previously filed similar complaints against Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign, and the Democratic National Committee — urged both DA Alvin Bragg and the Justice Department to investigate and, if warranted, prosecute Mamdani for the alleged violations.
According to The Post, the questionable donations came from countries including Australia, Turkey, France, Canada, and Germany, among others. The foundation argued that the campaign displayed a “systematic disregard” for campaign finance compliance.
Federal law makes it illegal to “accept or receive” donations from foreign nationals in any U.S. election — local, state, or federal — and anyone who knowingly does so can face heavy fines and possible prison time.
“The law could not be clearer — foreign nationals cannot participate in U.S. elections, and that includes donating money,” Backer said. “Yet Mamdani’s team repeatedly accepted contributions from overseas donors, some allegedly linked to individuals sympathetic to hostile entities. Whether through negligence or intent, this damages trust in our democracy.”
While Mamdani’s campaign has reportedly refunded some of the questionable donations, filings show that at least 88 contributions totaling $7,190 have not yet been returned. The campaign has raised about $4 million privately and received $12.7 million in public matching funds, leaving roughly $6.1 million in cash on hand with less than a month before Election Day.
Campaign spokesperson Dora Pekec responded that some of the disputed donations may have come from American citizens living abroad.
“All U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents — including those residing overseas — are allowed to contribute to New York City mayoral campaigns under federal, state, and city law,” Pekec told Fox News Digital. “Our campaign follows strict compliance procedures, including verifying whether donors with foreign addresses are U.S. citizens or green card holders. Any contribution found to be impermissible will be promptly refunded.”
According to most polls, Mamdani — a self-described socialist — holds a comfortable lead over former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa. Last week, Rep. Elise Stefanik criticized Gov. Kathy Hochul for endorsing Mamdani, calling him a “jihadist” for meeting with Siraj Wahhaj, an “unindicted co-conspirator” in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, The Post separately reported.
