A Texas jeweler, a steakhouse, airfare: New questions swirl around Mayor Adams' funds
Posted on 12/12/2024
Newly released documents from the Campaign Finance Board spell ongoing trouble for Mayor Eric Adams’ campaign.
Gothamist reported Tuesday that eight employees from a security firm formerly led by Robert Tucker, now the FDNY commissioner, donated to the campaign in the weeks leading up to Tucker’s appointment. The campaign didn’t disclose a bundler for those donations, which the board flagged.
But the possible mystery bundler is just one of the questions raised by the documents.
The records, which Gothamist obtained through a Freedom of Information request, suggest a pattern of sloppy record-keeping. The same issue dominated the agency’s draft audit of his 2021 campaign, which found $2.3 million in undocumented expenses.
The campaign is required to respond to information requests from the Board or risk having its matching funds withheld. The Campaign Finance Board will announce its decisions about who qualifies for the first round of matching funds on Monday.
In its response to the Adams campaign’s most recent filing, the board flagged more than $166,000 in unreported transactions through Sept. 30, 2024. Those expenses include a $1,639 purchase at a Texas jewelry store called Julie’s Jewel LLC; $1,400 at Delmonico’s steakhouse, and multiple purchases of airfare and hotels.
The vast majority of the debits do not indicate how the money was spent, so the campaign will need to provide additional documentation to explain that.
Vito Pitta, an attorney for the Adams campaign, has not responded to a request for comment about the latest records.
Candidates who wanted to correct any issues with this filing ahead of the first matching funds payment needed to provide responsive documents by Nov. 22, 2024. The Campaign Finance Board would not comment on whether the Adams campaign provided those documents.
Despite the discrepancies, Adams’ reelection campaign appears to have met the minimum thresholds required to qualify for matching funds. Mayoral candidates need to raise at least $250,000 in matchable donations from 1,000 or more donors. Adams raised $403,892 from 1,712 matchable donations, according to the board’s records.
Gothamist reported Tuesday that eight employees from a security firm formerly led by Robert Tucker, now the FDNY commissioner, donated to the campaign in the weeks leading up to Tucker’s appointment. The campaign didn’t disclose a bundler for those donations, which the board flagged.
But the possible mystery bundler is just one of the questions raised by the documents.
The records, which Gothamist obtained through a Freedom of Information request, suggest a pattern of sloppy record-keeping. The same issue dominated the agency’s draft audit of his 2021 campaign, which found $2.3 million in undocumented expenses.
The campaign is required to respond to information requests from the Board or risk having its matching funds withheld. The Campaign Finance Board will announce its decisions about who qualifies for the first round of matching funds on Monday.
In its response to the Adams campaign’s most recent filing, the board flagged more than $166,000 in unreported transactions through Sept. 30, 2024. Those expenses include a $1,639 purchase at a Texas jewelry store called Julie’s Jewel LLC; $1,400 at Delmonico’s steakhouse, and multiple purchases of airfare and hotels.
The vast majority of the debits do not indicate how the money was spent, so the campaign will need to provide additional documentation to explain that.
Vito Pitta, an attorney for the Adams campaign, has not responded to a request for comment about the latest records.
Candidates who wanted to correct any issues with this filing ahead of the first matching funds payment needed to provide responsive documents by Nov. 22, 2024. The Campaign Finance Board would not comment on whether the Adams campaign provided those documents.
Despite the discrepancies, Adams’ reelection campaign appears to have met the minimum thresholds required to qualify for matching funds. Mayoral candidates need to raise at least $250,000 in matchable donations from 1,000 or more donors. Adams raised $403,892 from 1,712 matchable donations, according to the board’s records.
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