(StraightNews.org) – A former New York police officer was sentenced to 200 hours of community service after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor conspiracy charge related to a straw donor scheme during Mayor Eric Adams’ 2021 election campaign. Dwayne Montgomery was the ringleader of a group of six who conspired to take advantage of a funds-matching program in the Big Apple.
Mr. Montgomery, a 64-year-old former NYPD officer who knew Mayor Adams when both served on the force, encouraged friends and family to contribute to the Adams campaign and orchestrated more than two dozen donations. Mr. Adams is not implicated in the scheme and denied all knowledge of its existence.
The New York City Campaign Finance Board’s Matching Funds Program was established in 1988 to encourage candidates to finance their campaigns through small donations rather than special interests. Under the program, the city provides $8 for every $1 raised from small donors and is funded via the New York City annual budget.
Mayor Eric Adams has been under growing scrutiny in recent months, and federal agents seized his cell phone and iPad last November as part of an investigation into illegal foreign donations.
The FBI inquiry furthermore probed Adams’ relationship with Turkish politicians. Agents took possession of his electronic devices just days after raiding the home of Brianna Suggs, a 25-year-old fundraiser who secured $18 million in donations for Adams in 2021.
The investigation specifically examined whether Adams conspired with Turkish officials to secure illegal donations from abroad. The FBI said KSK Construction and Bay Atlantic University both made significant donations to the Mayor, and both have close ties to Turkey.
More than 50 separate small donations, amounting to over $43,000, were matched by the city’s funds matching program in 2021, saddling the taxpayer with an enormous bill.
Political candidates in the Big Apple can accept donations from US citizens and permanent residents. They cannot receive funding from abroad or through proxy donors.
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