Zohran Mamdani allegedly received nearly $13K from at least 170 overseas donors

FIRST ON FOX: With one week till Election Day in New York Metropolis, a marketing campaign finance watchdog group, the Coolidge Reagan Basis, has filed two criminal referrals towards Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, who claimed he obtained unlawful contributions from overseas donors, however the Mamdani marketing campaign continues to carry out that any downside concerning monetary contributions has been resolved.

A assessment of monetary studies earlier this month confirmed that Mamdani’s marketing campaign had accepted almost $13,000 from a minimum of 170 donors exterior the US, elevating questions on his marketing campaign’s monetary compliance as solely U.S. residents or everlasting authorized residents are allowed to contribute to U.S. political campaigns.

“These will not be remoted incidents or administrative errors,” Dan Backer, a nationwide marketing campaign finance professional and chairman of the Coolidge Reagan Basis, informed Fox Information Digital. “This was a unbroken sample of overseas cash flowing right into a New York Metropolis mayoral race, in clear violation of each federal legislation and New York Metropolis marketing campaign finance laws. Mamdani’s marketing campaign was conscious for months that it was accepting unlawful overseas contributions, and but it did nothing significant to cease it.”

Nonetheless, the Mamdani marketing campaign stated that “31 of the 170 donors have confirmed their citizenship or authorized everlasting residence and have been deemed admissible by the Marketing campaign Finance Board, and the remaining 139 have had their donations refunded.”

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Zohran Mamdani, Democratic mayoral candidate of New York Metropolis, speaks throughout an interview on “The Story with Martha MacCallum” on Fox Information on Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2025, in New York Metropolis. (Evan Agostini/Invisie/AP)

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CRF despatched the prison referrals Tuesday morning to Assistant Lawyer Basic Matthew R. Galeotti of the U.S. Division of Justice’s Felony Division and Manhattan District Lawyer Alvin Bragg, citing attainable violations of the Federal Election Marketing campaign Act, which makes it illegal to “settle for or settle for” contributions from overseas nationals. obtained’ in federal, state or native elections.

Though marketing campaign finance legislation prohibits overseas nationals from donating to U.S. political candidates, U.S. residents and lawful everlasting residents residing overseas can legally contribute to U.S. campaigns. Which means that not all of Mamdani’s donations from addresses exterior the US essentially come from overseas nationals, a state marketing campaign finance official indicated.

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“The legislation is crystal clear that foreigners will not be allowed to take part in U.S. elections, and that features making contributions. But Mamdani’s marketing campaign repeatedly accepted donations from people overseas,” Backer added, arguing that “this habits, whether or not by way of negligence or intent, undermines the integrity of the democratic course of.”

The DOJ referral requires a prison investigation “for attainable FECA violations,” whereas the Manhattan referral “cites attainable violations of New York Election Regulation § 17.152, which makes it against the law for 2 or extra individuals to conspire to unlawfully procure an election.”

“Overseas cash in US elections is not only a technical violation, it’s a risk to self-government,” stated CRF Chairman Shaun McCutcheon. “Each greenback illegally funneled right into a marketing campaign from overseas dilutes the voice of professional American voters. This matter should be investigated instantly and people accountable should be held accountable.”

Supporters of Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani collect exterior 30 Rock in New York Metropolis on Thursday, October 16, 2025. (Fox Information Digital/Deirdre Heavey)

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In accordance with a Fox Information Digital assessment of New York Metropolis Marketing campaign Finance Board filings, Mamdani’s marketing campaign has raised about $13,000 from donors itemizing overseas addresses, together with a $500 donation in January from his mother-in-law in Dubai that was returned 4 days later.

As of October 14, the paperwork confirmed that 91 of the overseas donations had been refunded, totaling $5,723.50.

The New York Post was the primary to report on the out-of-town donations. The Mamdani marketing campaign informed the newspaper final month that “we are going to after all refund any donations that aren’t in accordance with CFB laws.”

However CRF argued that “returning questionable donations doesn’t resolve the violation.”

“CRF respectfully urges you to analyze and prosecute Mamdani’s obvious acceptance of unlawful contributions from overseas nationals for his mayoral marketing campaign,” Backer wrote within the prison citations.

Supporters of Democratic New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani gathered exterior LaGuardia Neighborhood School in Lengthy Island Metropolis in New York Metropolis on Wednesday, October 22, 2025. (Fox Information Digital/Deirdre Heavey)

Whereas acknowledging that a number of the donations from exterior the nation might come from “U.S. residents residing overseas who’re legally entitled to contribute,” Backer argued that “the totality of the circumstances signifies {that a} vital variety of these contributions are unlawful.”

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“Regardless of being properly conscious of this inflow of unlawful overseas contributions, it seems that for many of 2025 he did nothing to stop his marketing campaign from accepting them within the first place,” Backer charged.

“All U.S. residents and everlasting residents, together with these residing exterior the U.S., are legally allowed to donate to New York Metropolis mayoral campaigns beneath federal marketing campaign finance legislation and New York state and metropolis legislation,” Mamdani marketing campaign spokesperson Dora Pekec informed Fox Information Digital when reached for remark.

“The Marketing campaign has a rigorous compliance course of in place to make sure compliance with these legal guidelines, together with a protocol to verify whether or not donors with overseas addresses are U.S. residents or lawful everlasting residents. The Marketing campaign will promptly difficulty refunds for any donations discovered to be inadmissible,” Pekec added.