THE CITY reports that Eric Adams’ 2025 mayoral campaign was sent a letter from the Campaign Finance Board stating that in light of the federal indictment against Adams, the Board is considering whether his 2021 campaign engaged in “activities that can lead to a finding of breach of certification.” The CFB is New York City’s nonpartisan independent agency responsible for, among other things, distributing monies from the city’s generous matching funds program to candidates running for municipal office (mayor, comptroller, public advocate, borough president, and city council). The CFB’s program is one of the most generous of its kind in the country, offering eight dollars for every dollar raised by a candidate who is certified to be eligible for the program.
What the CFB ultimately decides in the matter can be of great consequence to Adams, as the city’s campaign finance laws dictate that a candidate found to be in breach of certification must return all funds received from the program, and may be barred from participating in it in the future. According to THE CITY, that amounts to $10 million in public funds that the Mayor of New York City received during his 2021 campaign and would have to give back.
In the federal indictment against Adams filed in September, prosecutors allege that he “not only accepted, but sought illegal campaign contributions to his 2021 mayoral campaign, as well as other things of value, from foreign nationals” as early as 2018. They claim that he hid the contributions through “straw donors” – intermediaries that are meant to disguise the true source of funds.
The indictment also states that Adams began repeating the process of soliciting foreign donations in 2022 for his 2025 campaign. The CFB has already flagged nearly a third of the funds raised by his campaign in this cycle, some $139,000, and has up to this point denied his request to participate in the matching funds program.
Speaking to the press on December 16th, Adams played down the denial. “The most important part of what CFB stated is ‘at this time,’” the mayor said. “We’re going to work with Vito Pitta, who’s my long-term attorney in compliance, we’re going to work with CFB to answer any questions they have.” During the 2021 election cycle, the Adams campaign ignored repeated questions from the CFB about hundreds of contributions, according to THE CITY.
Mayor Adams’ federal trial is set for April 21st of next year, although president-elect Trump has indicated that he may pardon him of the charges.
