(The Center Square) — Democratic New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani has been hit with complaints from a conservative watchdog alleging his campaign illegally accepted foreign contributions.
In a pair of complaints filed Tuesday separately with the U.S. Department of Justice and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office, the Coolidge Reagan Foundation calls for a criminal investigation of Mamdani’s campaign for allegedly accepting illegal foreign campaign contributions, in violation of state and federal election laws.
The complaints allege that Mamdani’s campaign accepted at least 161 contributions from foreign sources between December 2024 and September 2025, totaling more than $12,000. The contributions came from individuals living in Dubai, Australia, Turkey, France, Canada, Germany and several other countries, according to the complaints.
“These are not isolated incidents or clerical errors,” Dan Backer, the group’s president, said in a statement. “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.”
The foundation’s letter to the DOJ’s Public Integrity Section calls for a criminal investigation into potential Federal Election Campaign Act violations, while its referral to Bragg’s office cites possible violations of New York election law, which makes it a misdemeanor for two or more persons to conspire to promote an election by unlawful means.
“Foreign money in American elections is not just a technical violation, it is a threat to self-government,” Shaun McCutcheon, the foundation’s chairman, said. “Every dollar illegally funneled into a campaign from abroad dilutes the voice of lawful American voters. This case must be investigated immediately, and those responsible held accountable.”
There was no immediate comment from the DOJ or Bragg’s office about whether they will pursue charges against the democratic socialist, who remains the frontrunner in the mayoral race.
The complaints come just days ahead of the Nov. 4 election when voters will be deciding between the Queens assemblyman, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who is running as an independent candidate, and Republican Curtis Sliwa. Nearly 300,000 ballots have already been cast in the race during the week-long early voting period that kicked off Saturday, according to the New York City Board of Elections.
Mamdani’s campaign denied any wrongdoing, suggesting in a statement that some of the contributions flagged in the complaints may have come from U.S. citizens or permanent residents living overseas, who “are legally permitted to donate to New York City mayoral campaigns under federal campaign finance law and New York State and City law.”
“The campaign has a rigorous compliance process in place to ensure compliance with these laws, including a protocol to confirm whether donors with foreign addresses are U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents,” Mamdani campaign spokesman Dora Pekec said. “The campaign will promptly issue refunds for any donations that are found to be impermissible.”
