NEW YORK CITY (TIP): Six supporters of Eric Adams’ New York City mayoral campaign were indicted in Manhattan Friday, accused of running a straw donor scheme meant to win influence in City Hall. Adams himself, and his campaign, were not implicated in the scheme, and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg doesn’t allege that Adams knew about it. The 27-count indictment lays out a case that the defendants collectively paid 29 separate straw donors to give to Adams’ campaign, between Aug. 13, 2020 and Sept. 23, 2021.
The straw donors were not named in the indictment, but one of them was said to be a Democratic district leader in Manhattan. It wasn’t immediately clear who.
The scheme was meant to take advantage of New York City’s public campaign matching funds program, where donations of up to $250 from city residents are matched 8-to-1 with public funds. So multiple smaller contributions mean more money for a campaign, as opposed to fewer, large donations – especially with individuals limited to giving $2,000.
Dwayne Montgomery, Shamsuddin Riza, Millicent Redick, Ronald Peek, Yahya Mushtaq, Shahid Mushtaq and the construction safety company EcoSafety Consultants are all named in the indictment. The indictment identified Montgomery and Riza as relatives who facilitated the scheme. Yahya and Shahid Mushtaq are the owners of EcoSafety, and the indictment alleges that they made campaign contributions in the names of the company’s employees without their knowledge. Riza and his own construction company were charged in a separate, apparently unrelated state Supreme Court indictment earlier this year.
Montgomery is alleged to be the ringleader of the scheme, and hoped to use the significant amount donated to help open doors in City Hall, once Adams took office.
“Montgomery and an associate regularly updated a spreadsheet with all of the contributions associated with the fundraiser and the amount of matching funds they believed they had generated for the campaign,” said a press release from Bragg’s office. “They planned to use the contributions as leverage in potential future requests of the Mayor’s Office.”
Evan Thies, the spokesperson for Adams’ 2021 campaign, emailed a statement distancing Adams from the case. “The campaign thanks the District Attorney’s office for their hard work on behalf of taxpayers,” Thies wrote. “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.”