A Drip of Straw Donor Allegations
In a campaign that pulled in more than $10 million in public matching dollars from the taxpayers of New York City, the August 2021 fundraiser on Long Island for then-mayoral nominee Eric Adams was a standout.
It booked 231 donations, many of them from supermarket cashiers, delivery people, and other low-wage workers at the New World Mall in Queens, each listed as having made contributions of $249 or $250.
Their contributions were worth far more thanks to the matching funds program, which was designed to root out the influence of big money in elections by matching the first $250 of contributions from New York City residents eight times over with public funds.
But a video recently discovered on YouTube and reviewed by THE CITY and The Guardian reveals an event that doesn’t appear to have been a grassroots fundraiser.
Instead, it was a private affair for a few dozen people replete with caviar, Remy Martin cognac, and $400 bottles of wine.
A Mall Mogul
For Shao, the bustling multi-tiered New World Mall is more than an anchor of Flushing’s Roosevelt Avenue corridor. It has been a crowning success.
In a court deposition, Shao described his education as ending in middle school in China before he immigrated to the United States in 1990 and obtained his green card.
A Lingering Barbecue Question
To help ensure that donors at fundraising events actually spend their own money, as required by law, the Campaign Finance Board requires hosts of house parties to sign on to all donations there when the parties cost $500 or more.
The Adams campaign previously told THE CITY that the barbecue cost less than $500, even as the event claimed 231 donors.
What’s more, hosts who spend more than $500 have to register as an “intermediary” personally responsible for every donation brought in.
A Drip of Straw Donor Allegations
It’s been close to 18 months since allegations began to build about Adams’ 2021 fundraising.
They first erupted in an indictment of six people by Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg last June, including a high-ranking former cop Adams had known for years.
In between that indictment and Adams’, reporting by THE CITY, The Guardian, and Documented zeroed in on the New World Mall and on Greco, who worked out of an Adams campaign office in the mall.
Conclusion
The video and reporting reveal a complex web of donations and fundraising activities that may have been intended to conceal the true sources of funds.
As the campaign faces further scrutiny, the questions about the legitimacy of these donations and the Adams campaign’s handling of matching funds program remain.
FAQs
Q: What was the purpose of the Adams campaign’s fundraising event at the New World Mall?
A: The event was a private fundraiser for then-mayoral nominee Eric Adams, held at the New World Mall in Queens.
Q: What was the amount of money raised at the event?
A: The event raised over $10 million in public matching dollars from the taxpayers of New York City.
Q: How many donors attended the event?
A: The event had 231 donors, many of whom were low-wage workers at the New World Mall in Queens.
Q: What is the significance of the $500 threshold in the Campaign Finance Board’s rules?
A: If a host spends more than $500 on a house party, every dollar spent on the party has to be reported as an “in-kind” donation to the campaign and counts toward the host’s total donation limit.
Q: What is the role of the intermediary in the campaign finance process?
A: The intermediary is responsible for every donation brought in at a fundraising event and has to sign on to all donations at the event.
Q: What are the allegations against Eric Adams?
A: The allegations include straw donor schemes and illegal campaign donations from foreign nationals.
Q: What is the outcome of the FBI raids on the New World Mall and Eric Adams’ campaign office?
A: The FBI raided the New World Mall and Eric Adams’ campaign office as part of a federal criminal investigation into illegal campaign donations.
Q: What is the status of the campaign finance audit of the Adams campaign?
A: The Campaign Finance Board is conducting an audit of the Adams campaign and has flagged hundreds of donations for further investigation.
Q: What is the outcome of the indictment of Eric Adams?
A: Eric Adams was indicted on charges of wire fraud, bribery, and soliciting campaign donations from foreign nationals and has pleaded not guilty.
Q: What is the status of the legal proceedings against Eric Adams?
A: The legal proceedings against Eric Adams are ongoing, with a trial date yet to be set.
Q: What is the impact of the allegations on Eric Adams’ campaign?
A: The allegations have raised questions about the legitimacy of the Adams campaign’s fundraising activities and the use of public matching funds.
Q: What is the response of the Adams campaign to the allegations?
A: The Adams campaign has denied any wrongdoing and claimed that the donations were made in good faith.
Q: What is the role of Winnie Greco in the Adams campaign?
A: Winnie Greco was the Adams campaign’s liaison to Asian communities and played a central role in fundraising activities, including the barbecue event at the New World Mall.
Q: What is the outcome of the CFB audit of the Adams campaign?
A: The CFB audit has found hundreds of irregularities in the Adams campaign’s reporting and has flagged donations for further investigation.
