Zohran Mamdani, the New York City mayoral frontrunner, was hit with two criminal referrals on Tuesday after the Coolidge Reagan Foundation accused him of accepting illegal contributions from foreign donors.The referrals, alleging possible violations of the Federal Election Campaign Act and New York Election Code, were filed with the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office, New York Post reported. The New York Post reported earlier this month that 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,” said Dan Backer, a national campaign finance expert and president of the Coolidge Reagan Foundation. “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.” “Mamdani’s campaign was on notice for months that it was accepting illegal foreign contributions, and yet it did nothing meaningful to stop it,” he added. 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 funds that flowed in from Australia, Turkey, France, Canada, Germany and other countries. The group argued Mamdani’s campaign 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 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.
