Communist Zohran Mamdani Under Fire For Allegedly Raking in $13,000 In Illegal Foreign Donations

Democratic mayoral candidate and communist antisemite Zohran Mamdani is facing mounting scrutiny after his campaign quietly accepted nearly $13,000 in potentially illegal foreign donations — including one from his own mother-in-law in Dubai. Records reviewed by the New York Post, published Sunday, show at least 170 contributions to Mamdani’s campaign came from donors with addresses outside the United States.

Under federal, state, and city law, only U.S. citizens or permanent residents may donate to political campaigns. Candidates are required to return any foreign donations, and knowingly accepting them can bring severe penalties, including fines and possible jail time.

Yet campaign finance records show Mamdani has so far failed to return 88 of those contributions — totaling $7,190 — even as the money continues to sit in his account. His campaign has already amassed $4 million in private donations and received another $12.7 million in public matching funds, with just weeks left before election day.

After being presented with a detailed list of the unreturned donations, Mamdani’s campaign said Saturday, “we will of course return any donations that are not in compliance with CFB law.” A spokesperson, however, refused to explain why so many questionable contributions remain unrefunded.

Critics say the situation raises serious red flags. “Where there’s smoke, there’s fire, so I would be very concerned,” Republican mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa told the Post. “There is probably a lot more in terms of foreign money.”

Sliwa, who previously called on the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate Mamdani’s campaign for “dark money” ties, said the revelation reinforces his concerns. “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,” he said. “And foreign countries know you don’t have to go to war against America. All you gotta do is manipulate the election.”

While Mamdani’s campaign has refunded only $5,608 in foreign contributions, that figure includes a $500 donation from his mother-in-law, Dr. Bariah Dardari, a pediatrician in Dubai. Records show Dardari’s donation, made in January from her hospital address, was returned the same day. She did not respond to requests for comment.

Most of the questionable donations began pouring in around June, just before Mamdani’s surprise Democratic primary victory over Mayor Eric Adams and former Governor Andrew Cuomo. Donors included tech workers, professors, doctors, and retirees — pledging anywhere from a single dollar to the $2,100 legal maximum.

Among the biggest contributors was James Furlaud, an environmental scientist at Australia’s University of Tasmania, who sent $2,100 to Mamdani’s campaign.

Another large donation came from Ada Diaz Ahmed, described as a Dubai-based investor, who gave $2,100 in September. A Canadian software developer, Jun-Dai Bates Kobashigawa, also donated $250 in July, while a German engineer, Ugur Macit, contributed the same amount in August. Both could not be reached for comment.

Meanwhile, a physician in Calgary, Canada, named Ahmed Enbya, gave $100 to the campaign, and did not respond to inquiries.

Not every foreign-based donor violated the law. Nupur Amin Marquardt, an American citizen working in Hamburg, Germany, gave $50 — a legal contribution under federal election rules. “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 said.

Still, the bulk of Mamdani’s support continues to come from outside New York City. Recent filings showed that in the final weeks before the election, the socialist candidate pulled in more than $1.05 million, over twice the amount raised by Cuomo, much of it from donors who live far from the city he hopes to govern.