Mamdani's New York Mayoral Campaign Took Illegal Foreign Donations, Finance Records Show

NEW YORK, NY - Commie mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, who is somehow currently leading the polls to become New York’s next mayor, has received nearly $13,000 in illegal foreign campaign donations, including one from his mother-in-law in Dubai, The New York Post reports. 

Mamdani, who portrays himself as one of the folks but who is actually from a millionaire family, has received 170 out of 54,000 contributions to his campaign fund from donors living outside the United States, according to NYC Campaign Finance Board records. 

Under federal, state, and city campaign finance laws, only U.S. citizens or permanent legal residents are permitted to donate to political campaigns and political action committees. Any entity receiving such donations is expected to return them to the donors. Violators who knowingly accept such contributions are subject to large fines and possible imprisonment. 

Thus far, the campaign has failed to return some 88 foreign donations totaling $7,190, records showed. Mamdani’s campaign did return the donation to his wealthy mother-in-law, however. 

In an attempt to justify receipt of illegal campaign donations, the Mamdani campaign stated on Saturday, claiming, “we will of course return any donations that are not in compliance with CFB law” after being apprised of a detailed breakdown of the 88 donations still not returned. 

When asked why there were so many foreign donations in Mamdani’s campaign coffers, the campaign declined to answer. 

The revelation that Mamdani received numerous foreign donations sparked criticism from at least one of his opponents, Republican Curtis Sliwa. 

“Where there’s smoke, there’s fire, so I would be very concerned,” Sliwa said. “There is probably a lot more in terms of foreign money.” 

Sliwa has previously called on the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate Mamdani’s campaign, telling Fox Business that he believed Mamdani was being aided by so-called “dark money” being illegally funneled into super PACs via foreign nationals. 

“It’s very problematic, not just for Zohran Mamdani, but anybody who has these kinds of PACs, because it’s a license to illegally funnel money,” Sliwa told The Post. “And foreign countries know you don’t have to go to war against America. All you gotta do is manipulate the election.” 

The money Mamdani returned to his mother-in-law amounted to $500, which she donated in January. Briah Dardari listed her address as a hospital in Dubai where she works as a pediatrician, filings showed. The money was reportedly returned the same day. The Post reached out to Dardari for comment; however, she didn’t return the calls. 

The majority of foreign donations started pouring in during the lead-up to the June mayoral primary, where Mamdani somehow prevailed over incumbent mayor Eric Adams and former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. 

The top five donors to Mamdani’s campaign included Aba Diaz Ahmed, an investor based in Dubai, and James Furlaud, an environmental scientist, who donated $2,100 each. Dardari donated $500, and the final two largest donors were Ugur Macit, listed as unemployed from Germany, and Jun-Dai Bates Kobashigawa, employed by GoDaddy in Montreal, both of whom donated $250. 

The bulk of foreign contributions came from tech professionals, university professors, students, and retired teachers, with some pledging as little as $1. 

Furlaud works at the University of Tasmania in Australia and studies the effects of “climate change” on forests and how that can lead to fires, according to published academic work. He also refused to return requests for comment. 

Kobashigawa grew up in San Francisco and attended Bard College in Dutchess County. He likewise refused to comment. 

Ahmed Enbya, a physician from Calgary, Alberta, Canada, donated $100 to Mamdani in September. The Post could not reach him for comment. 

One foreigner whose campaign donation is permitted because she’s a U.S. citizen who works in Hamburg, Germany, is Nupur Amin Marquardt, who donated $50 to Mamdani’s campaign in August. Despite having zero connection to New York, she felt “inspired” to support Mamdani, she said. 

“It’s the only campaign I’ve seen that’s not trying to win by convincing a group of people to hate another group of people,” she told The Post. 

A majority of Mamdani’s donations have come from outside New York City, according to campaign filings. Mamdani has raked in over $1.05 million over the past several weeks, more than double what Cuomo has raised, $507,000.