Zohran Mamdani faces probe over alleged illegal foreign donations in NYC mayoral campaign: Here's what we know

The leading candidate for the US Democratic Party, Zohran Mamdani, is experiencing serious scrutiny after a conservative campaign finance watchdog accused his campaign of receiving donations from foreign donors. The Coolidge Reagan Foundation filed two criminal referrals, one with the US Department of Justice's Criminal Division and another with the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, alleging that Mamdani violated the Federal Election Campaign Act and the New York Election Law by accepting contributions.

Based on the campaign finance records cited by the watchdog and media outlets, the campaign of Mamdani was found with nearly $13,000 (approximately Rs 11 Lakh) from at least 170 donors having addresses outside the United States. The donation also includes from his mother-in-law in Dubai. However, some of the funds were returned, while about 88 donations costing around $7,190 remain due.

Meanwhile, the US federal law bars foreign nationals from contributing to American political campaigns, with violations carrying potential fines or criminal charges. The watchdog alleged that Zohran Mamdani’s campaign showed a “systematic failure to comply” with campaign finance regulations.

“These are not isolated incidents or clerical errors," Dan Backer, a national campaign finance expert and president of the Coolidge Reagan Foundation, 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," Backer added. “Mamdani’s campaign was on notice for months that it was accepting illegal foreign contributions, and yet it did nothing meaningful to stop it," Dan Backer added.

Complaints against Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

In response to the case, the Coolidge Reagan Foundation has called on Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and the US Department of Justice to investigate and prosecute Mamdani for allegedly receiving illegal donations from countries including Australia, Turkey, France, Canada, and Germany.

Previously, the foundation has also filed a complaint against Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and the presidential campaign of Hillary Clinton and the Democratic National Committee.

Mamdani’s campaign spokesperson, Dora Pekec, told Fox News Digital, “All U.S. citizens and permanent residents, including those who live outside the US, 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 US citizens or lawful permanent residents. The Campaign will promptly issue refunds for any donations that are found to be impermissible," Pekec added.

She further added that a few of the questionable donations have come from US citizens staying in other nations. In a nutshell, the Mamdani campaign has raised around $4 million in private donations and $12.7 million in public matching funds.