The socialist candidate for New York City mayor, Zohran Mamdani, faces a political and legal storm less than a month before the election. On Tuesday, the watchdog group "Coolidge Reagan Foundation" filed two criminal complaints against his campaign, accusing it of accepting illegal contributions from foreign donors, in violation of the "Federal Election Campaign Act" and the New York Election Code. The complaints were referred to both the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Manhattan District Attorney's Office, led by Alvin Bragg.
According to the file, Mamdani's campaign allegedly received nearly $13,000 in contributions from at least 170 donors with addresses outside the United States, including his mother-in-law in Dubai.
Federal law strictly prohibits foreign citizens from participating in any U.S. election, whether federal, state, or local. If the accusations are confirmed, the case could result in severe fines and even prison sentences.
"These are not isolated incidents or simple administrative errors," stated Dan Backer, an expert in political financing and president of the foundation filing the complaint.
"This is a sustained pattern of foreign money flowing into a municipal campaign, something that clearly violates both federal and local laws." Backer added that Mamdani's campaign "was warned for months" and that, despite this, "did nothing significant to stop it."
The Coolidge Reagan Foundation is no stranger to this type of complaint: in the past, it has filed complaints against Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign and the Democratic National Committee (DNC). Its president argued that Mamdani's case represents "a systematic failure to comply with campaign finance laws."
Backer went further by warning about the seriousness of the matter: "The law is crystal clear: foreigners can't participate in U.S. elections, either directly or indirectly. However, Mamdani's campaign repeatedly accepted donations from individuals abroad, some even with ties to regions and people openly hostile to U.S. interests. Whether through negligence or intent, this behavior undermines the integrity of the democratic process."
