It’s possible that all is not well in City Hall. Manhattan District Attorney (DA) Alvin Bragg announced last week the indictments of six people and a consulting company in connection with Mayor Eric Adams’ mayoral campaign back in 2021.
“We allege a deliberate scheme to game the system in a blatant attempt to gain power. The indictment charges the defendants with subverting campaign finance laws by improperly structuring campaign contributions,” said Bragg in a statement. “The New York City Campaign Finance Board program is meant to support our democracy and amplify the voices of New York City voters. When the integrity of that program is corrupted, all New Yorkers suffer.”
The group is accused of participating in a straw donor scheme, which means a person or entity illegally evadeds campaign finance contribution limits. The defendants include Ecosafety Consultants Inc and Harlem’s retired Deputy Inspector Dwayne Montgomery, 64.
“New York City’s public matching funds program makes our local elections more open, transparent, and equitable. The work that the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office is doing to protect the matching funds program from fraud and abuse is fundamental to its continued success,” said Press Secretary for the NYC Campaign Finance Board (NYCCFB) Press Secretary Tim Hunter in a statement. “Today’s announcement is a reminder that rigorous audit and oversight processes like we have in New York City safeguard the integrity of our local democracy by helping ensure that criminal schemes like the one alleged today are uncovered.”
According to court documents and statements, said the DA’s office, the defendants illegally structured campaign contributions to maximize the city’s matching funds payout for Adams in his bid for mMayor. Technically, the max an individual resident is allowed to donate to a candidate is $2,000, according to thesaid NYCCFB.
Others named in the indictments include Shamsuddin Riza, 70, Millicent Redick, 77, Ronald Peek, 65, Yahya Mushtaq, 28, and Shahid Mushtaq, 29.
The DA’s office said Montgomery and Riza, who are relatives, hoped to do business with the city by recruiting straw donors. In 2020, Montgomery held a virtual fundraiser for Adams’ campaign via Zoom. He recruited straw donors there to make contributions in their names and then reimbursed the donors. Each straw donor falsely certified that they were the source of the contributed funds and that they were not reimbursed, said the DA’s office.
They allegedly repeated the process at fundraisers throughout July and August 2021. Then they used money orders at four post office locations with a falsified campaign contribution card in the names of friends and family members.
The charges for individuals in the group indicted include conspiracy in the fifth degree, attempted grand larceny in the third degree, as well as offering and attempting to offeroffering a false instrument for filing. Depending on what’s decided, charges like conspiracy are a felony and can carry fines and jail time.
Adams himself has not been indicted in the scheme. On theThough the day of the announcement, he had no public events scheduled and has not directly addressed the situation. The Amsterdam News reached out to City Hall and Adams’ campaign team for comment.
“The campaign thanks the District Attorney’s office for their hard work on behalf of taxpayers,” said Adams’ 2021 campaign spokesperson Evan Thies. “There is no indication that the campaign or the mayor is involved in this case or under investigation. The campaign always held itself to the highest standards and we would never tolerate these actions. The campaign will of course work with the DA’s office, the Campaign Finance Board, and any relevant authorities.”
On May 15, NYCCFB hit Adams with fines for alleged violations during his 2021 campaign. The violations included $5,000 for accepting prohibited donations, $200 for failing to properly wind down Transition and Inauguration Entities (TIEs) activities, $14,400 for14,400for failing to respond and late response to requests for information or documentation. The charges totaled $19,600.
The Amsterdam News reached out to Montgomery for comment. He declined to comment.
Additional reporting from The Amsterdam News’ Tandy Lau and Damaso Reyes.
Ariama C. Long is a Report for America corps member and writes about politics for the Amsterdam News. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep her writing stories like this one; please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today by visiting https://bit.ly/amnews1.