NYC Mayoral Frontrunner Zohran Mamdani Faces Criminal Referrals Over Alleged Foreign Donations

Zohran Mamdani is facing two criminal referrals for allegedly accepting foreign donations in his New York City mayoral campaign.

Mamdani, the frontrunner in the race, was referred to the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg by a campaign finance watchdog.

The Coolidge Reagan Foundation (CRF) alleges that Mamdani’s campaign accepted more than $12,000 from 161 foreign contributions between December 2024 and September 2025.

It claims that some of those donations came from individuals with addresses listed in Dubai, Australia, Turkey, France, Canada, and Germany.

The Federal Election Campaign Act deems it unlawful to “accept or receive” contributions from foreign nationals in any federal, state, or local election.

The CRF, which says its mission is to protect and uphold the First Amendment, is urging the DOJ and Bragg to launch a criminal investigation into potential violations of federal and state law.

The organization appears to be conservative and right-wing leaning, given that several of its complaints have been filed against Democratic lawmakers or Democratic-aligned organizations.

Mamdani’s campaign spokesperson, Dora Pekec, indicated that some of those donations had come from U.S. citizens and permanent residents who live outside the U.S.

U.S. citizens living overseas are permitted to make donations to elections under the Federal Election Campaign Act.

Fox News Digital reported that the Mamdani campaign said that “31 of the 170 donors have proven their citizenship or legal permanent residence and have been deemed permissible by the Campaign Finance Board, and the remaining 139 have had their donations refunded.”

“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,” Pekec told the outlet.

“The Campaign will promptly issue refunds for any donations that are found to be impermissible.”

Dan Backer, president of CRF, alleged in a statement that the incidents were not “isolated” or “clerical errors.”

“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 said.

“Mamdani’s campaign was on notice for months that it was accepting illegal foreign contributions, and yet it did nothing meaningful to stop it.”

According to The New York Post, some foreign contributions to Mamdani’s campaign have been refunded, but at least 88 donations totaling $7,190 have not.

“Foreign money in American elections is not just a technical violation, it is a threat to self-government,” Shaun McCutcheon, chairman of the CRF, added.

“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.”

Voters will head to the polls on November 4 to select the next New York mayor, with polling so far putting Mamdani in the lead over independent Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa.

One such poll released by a Manhattan Institute survey on Tuesday shows Mamdani is predicted to secure 46% of the vote, Cuomo 31% and Sliwa 21%.

A report released by Gotham Polling and the city's AARP on October 20 also showed Mamdani as the frontrunner, projecting him to secure 43.2% of the vote in the three-way race.

Cuomo was expected to secure 28.9% of the vote, and Sliwa 19.4%.

More than 220,000 people have already cast their votes through postal ballots.