Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic Socialist nominee in New York City’s mayoral race, is now reportedly facing serious legal questions after two criminal referrals accused his campaign of accepting thousands of dollars in potentially illegal foreign contributions.
The Coolidge Reagan Foundation, a conservative watchdog group focused on campaign integrity, filed the complaints alleging that Mamdani — a Ugandan immigrant and member of the Democratic Socialists of America — received nearly $13,000 from at least 170 donors located outside the United States. Federal and local election laws prohibit political candidates from accepting foreign donations.
“These are not isolated incidents or clerical errors,” said Dan Backer, the foundation’s president and a veteran campaign finance attorney. Backer described the situation as “a sustained pattern of foreign money flowing into a New York City mayoral race,” accusing Mamdani’s campaign of neglecting to take corrective action despite being “on notice for months.”
The Mamdani campaign has denied wrongdoing, asserting that 31 of the questioned donors have since verified their citizenship or permanent residency, while the remaining 139 donations have been refunded. Yet according to the foundation’s referral, such refunds do not erase the original violations.
“Despite being well aware of this influx of illegal foreign contributions, it appears he did nothing throughout most of 2025 to prevent his campaign from accepting them in the first place,” the complaint stated.
While the Federal Election Commission can impose civil penalties, criminal prosecution would fall to local or federal prosecutors — who, legal experts suggest, may be reluctant to bring charges. Still, the allegations add a new layer of controversy to a campaign already marked by its ideological radicalism and unconventional funding sources.
Mamdani, who has built his political profile on a platform of rent cancellation, defunding the police, and expanding public housing, has frequently clashed with moderates in his own party.
For critics, the alleged foreign contributions and the support from tech elites highlight what they view as the contradictions within Mamdani’s populist messaging. While the candidate has framed his campaign as a grassroots movement for working-class New Yorkers, the involvement of wealthy donors and questionable contributions from abroad has fueled skepticism about where his loyalties lie.
Backer said the issue goes beyond Mamdani’s campaign, raising broader concerns about transparency and foreign influence in local elections. “When money from outside the country begins shaping political outcomes in America’s largest city, that should alarm everyone — regardless of party,” he said.
The controversy now threatens to overshadow Mamdani’s push to unite the city’s progressive movement under a socialist banner. His campaign has not commented on whether any internal review or compliance overhaul will follow.
For now, the case underscores an uneasy intersection between global money, local politics, and the growing influence of left-wing activism in Democratic strongholds — an issue that may yet reverberate beyond New York City.
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