Six people, including an ex-New York City cop close to Mayor Eric Adams, have been indicted for participating in a straw donor scheme.
The former cop’s name is Dwayne Montgomery, and according to Politico he’s “a retired deputy inspector with the NYPD, where he overlapped with Adams before the mayor retired to pursue a political career.”
“The two also appeared to run in the same social circles. A Facebook profile includes photos from 2014 showing them posing together at a birthday party for Montgomery in Harlem,” Politico noted.
Montgomery, as well as five others, were indicted Friday by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr., “for conspiring to use a straw donor scheme to illegally generate matching funds from the New York City Campaign Finance Board during the 2021 mayoral election.”
Today we announced the indictments of six individuals and EcoSafety Consultants Inc. for conspiring to use a straw donor scheme to illegally generate matching funds from the New York City Campaign Finance Board during the 2021 mayoral election. Learn more: https://t.co/t00tlDhtZ6
— Alvin Bragg (@ManhattanDA) July 7, 2023
“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,” Bragg said 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,” he added.
The way it works in New York is that an individual may only donate up to $2,000 to a candidate. However, the Campaign Finance Board has vowed to match the first $250 of any donation by 8x the dollar amount. In other words, were someone to donate the full $2,000, the board would donate match it by $250*8, or $2,000.
Montgomery and the other five allegedly sought to take advantage of this by making donations in other people’s names. These people are known as straw donors.
Regarding Montgomery in particular, the New York Post notes that prosecutors have alleged “that between 2020 and 2021, Montgomery, 64, orchestrated 23 straw donations but reimbursed them [his friends] later with his own money to the tune of $40,000 — all so he could get around donation caps.”
Why did he and the other five do it? Reportedly to curry favor in the hopes of being able to obtain future business deals from the city once Adams took office.
The other defendants include Shamsuddin Riza, Millicent Redick, Ronald Peek, Yahya Mushtaq, and Shahid Mushtaq.
VIDEO: NYS arraignments for illegal campaign contributions to Eric Adams campaign for Mayor: DWAYNE MONTGOMERY, 64, SHAMSUDDIN RIZA, MILLICENT REDICK, RONALD PEEK, YAHYA MUSHTAQ, 28, SHAHID MUSHTAQ & ECOSAFETY CONSULTANTS – (c) #InnerCityPressDowntownNewsService pic.twitter.com/ZzFQE21RFf
— Inner City Press (@innercitypress) July 7, 2023
According to Politico, “The indictment does not implicate Adams or the campaign.”
“In a statement, a campaign spokesperson acknowledged that Montgomery and Adams know each other from their time at the NYPD, but stressed that many people in the public safety realm were supporters of the campaign,” Politico notes.
“Montgomery was a colleague of the mayor in the police department whom he knew socially and worked on criminal justice issues with. Dozens of former police officers and criminal justice advocates hosted events for the mayor over the course of the campaign,'” the campaign spokesperson reportedly said.
That said, many in the public have their doubts …
Look:
Okay what about Adams?
— Stop Voting for Republicans (@MBershod) July 7, 2023
Anyone surprised or think that he wasn’t fully aware of this?
— Kandiaronk (he/him) Lyudy (@WayaKandiaronk) July 8, 2023
Now indict their ring leader. There’s no way Adams wasn’t directly involved.
— RP Photo Video (@ryanpphotovideo) July 7, 2023
So whom in Eric Adams campaign was aware of this pay-to-play bribery scheme? Or are we supposed to believe these men tried to buy influence with a candidate without even letting that candidate know they & their bribes existed?
— Shaun Gray (@Shaun944) July 7, 2023
They may be right to be concerned.
Hell Gate, an independent outlet based in NYC, notes that “[t]here are numerous unnamed co-conspirators who appear in the charging documents,” including one Adams campaign staffer.
Also, one of the straw donors was a Manhattan Democrat district leader.
But the biggest piece of evidence is a phone call recording from 2020 in which Montgomery had purported to speak for Adams.
“[The Candidate] said he doesn’t want to do anything if he doesn’t get 25 Gs,” Montgomery reportedly said.
Hell Gate asked an Adams 2021 campaign spokesperson — the same one who spoke with Politico — what to make of the 25 Gs comment, but he avoided answering the question.
“The campaign thanks the District Attorney’s office for their hard work on behalf of taxpayers. There is no indication that the campaign or the mayor is involved in this case or under investigation,” the spokesperson said.
“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,” they added.
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