Zohran Mamdani frequently claims that his campaign for mayor of New York is powered by regular citizens. It’s also powered by thousands of dollars in potentially illegal campaign contributions, according to new records.
The socialist Democrat raked in overseas donations that are prohibited under federal law, according to a review by the NY Post. Some of the money even came from his mother-in-law, a resident of Dubai.
All told, upwards of 170 of Mamdani’s nearly 54,000 contributions originated on foreign soil, totaling $13,000 that could have far-reaching consequences for the Muslim mayoral candidate. All were reported to the NYC Campaign Finance Board, which oversees the Big Apple’s elections.
Federal, state, and local election laws are aligned in requiring that only U.S. citizens may contribute to U.S. elections. Any donation from noncitizens is expected to be refunded, and violators who do not do so in a timely manner could be levied with even greater fines.
So far, however, records appear to show that Mamdani’s campaign has failed to return 88 donations totaling $7,190.
The amount is a pittance compared to the largesse that has showered Mamdani since his victory in a three-way primary in June, when he topped the ticket against Mayor Eric Adams and former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.
He has raised over $4 million in private donations and saw that amount tripled by more than $12.7 million in public funds. He’s entered the final month of the election with $6.1 million cash on hand.
His campaign issued a statement Saturday saying “we will of course return any donations that are not in compliance with CFB law” after the Post provided a list of the 88 apparently illegal foreign donations.
The spokesperson failed to tell the Post why the allegedly illegal campaign cash has not yet been refunded.
Curtis Sliwa, the perennial Republican candidate for mayor, said Mamdani’s illegal donations should be a cause for concern to New Yorkers.
“Where there’s smoke, there’s fire, so I would be very concerned,” he said. “There is probably a lot more in terms of foreign money.”
Sliwa’s call for greater oversight comes two months after he appeared on Fox Business to denounce Mamdani’s reliance on “dark money” donations being illegally funneled through independent PACs that could be accepting foreign donations.
“It’s very problematic, not just for Zohran Mamdani, but anybody who has these kinds of PACs, because it’s a license to illegally funnel money,” Sliwa told The Post. “And foreign countries know you don’t have to go to war against America. All you gotta do is manipulate the election.”
So far, Mamdani’s campaign has refunded $5,608, including a donation by Bariah Dardari, the mother of his wife Rama Duwaji. Records show she gave a $500 donation and works as a pediatrician at a hospital in Dubai.