New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani is facing criminal referrals filed with the Department of Justice and the Manhattan District Attorney over allegations that his campaign accepted illegal contributions from foreign donors. The complaints, submitted Tuesday by the Coolidge Reagan Foundation, claim the campaign violated both federal and state election laws by allowing money from individuals outside the United States.
Finance reports indicate Mamdani’s campaign received nearly $13,000 from at least 170 donors with foreign addresses, including a $500 donation from his mother-in-law in Dubai. The foundation described this as a “sustained pattern of foreign money flowing into a New York City mayoral race,” and argued it undermines the integrity of the electoral process. “These are not isolated incidents or clerical errors,” Dan Backer, president of the Coolidge Reagan Foundation, emphasized.
The referrals call for investigations under the Federal Election Campaign Act, which forbids foreign nationals from contributing to U.S. elections, and the New York Election Law, which makes it a misdemeanor to use unlawful means to influence an election. The watchdog group insisted that returning questionable donations does not eliminate potential violations.
Records show that at least 88 contributions totaling $7,190 have not been returned, raising concerns about the campaign’s oversight. Critics argue that, regardless of intent, the reported foreign contributions demonstrate a failure to ensure compliance with campaign finance laws, potentially exposing the candidate to legal scrutiny in the final weeks of the race.
Mamdani’s campaign has raised roughly $4 million in private donations and $12.7 million in public matching funds, leaving it with about $6.1 million on hand ahead of the election. The Coolidge Reagan Foundation emphasized the need for a full investigation, stating that any illegal foreign contributions “dilute the voice of lawful American voters” and must be addressed to maintain electoral integrity.
