Lefty socialist and mayoral frontrunner Zohran Mamdani\u2019s\u00a0campaign\u00a0quietly took in nearly $13,000 in potentially illegal foreign donations \u2014 including one from his mother-in-law in Dubai, The Post has learned.<\/p>\n
At least 170 of the nearly 54,000 contributions to the leading Democratic candidate\u2019s campaign came from donors with addresses outside the United States, an examination of NYC Campaign Finance Board records found.<\/p>\n
Only US citizens<\/a> or permanent legal residents are allowed to contribute to political campaigns and political action committees under federal, state and city law, and candidates are expected to return any of the\u00a0illegal donations. Violators who knowingly accept foreign donations could face hefty fines and imprisonment.<\/p>\n Mamdani\u2019s mother-in-law, Dr. Bariah Dardari, donated to his campaign \u2014 but the funds were quickly returned. doctor_bariah\/instagram<\/p>\n But so far, the campaign has failed to return 88 of the foreign donations worth a total of $7,190, records showed.<\/p>\n Mamdani\u2019s campaign has brought in $4 million in private donations, scored another $12.7 million in public matching funds, and with less than a month to go before election day, has nearly $6.1 million in hand.<\/p>\n His campaign issued a statement Saturday saying \u201cwe will of course return any donations that are not in compliance with CFB law\u201d after being provided a detailed breakdown of the 88 donations yet to be returned.\u00a0<\/p>\n A campaign spokesperson, however, declined to clarify why so many foreign donations are still in Mamdani\u2019s war chest.<\/p>\n The foreign donations have sparked criticism.<\/p>\n \u201cWhere there\u2019s smoke, there\u2019s fire, so I would be very concerned,\u201d said Republican mayoral candidate Curtis\u00a0Sliwa, upon learning of the foreign money coming into Mamdani\u2019s campaign.\u00a0\u201cThere is probably a lot more in terms of foreign money.\u201d<\/p>\n Two months ago,\u00a0Sliwa,\u00a0during an interview with Fox Business, called on the US Department of Justice to investigate his suspicions that Mamdani is being aided by difficult-to-trace \u201cdark money\u201d illegally being funneled into super PACs through foreign nationals.<\/p>\n Mamdani\u2019s campaign has so far failed to return 88 foreign donations. Robert Miller<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s very problematic, not just for Zohran Mamdani, but anybody who has these kinds of PACs, because it\u2019s a license to illegally funnel money,\u201d Sliwa\u00a0told The Post. \u201cAnd foreign countries know you don\u2019t have to go to war against America. All you gotta do is manipulate the election.\u201d<\/p>\n The Mamdani campaign has given back a paltry $5,608 \u2014 including a contribution from Bariah Dardari, the mother of Mamdani\u2019s new bride Rama Duwaji<\/a>.<\/p>\n Dardari gave $500 in January, listing an address of the hospital in Dubai where she works as a pediatrician, filings showed. The money was reported returned the same day. <\/p>\n Dardari did not return requests for comment.<\/p>\n