Mayor Adams Files Lawsuit Over Withheld Campaign Funds

Mayor Eric Adams filed a lawsuit against the city’s Campaign Finance Board (CFB) on Tuesday, May 27th, in an effort to reverse the agency’s decision to deny his reelection campaign $3.4 million in public matching funds. The lawsuit, filed in the New York State Supreme Court in Brooklyn, contests the board’s judgment, which was mostly predicated on a federal indictment against Adams that has since been dismissed.

Adams’ five-count indictment for bribery and the campaign’s non-compliance with requests for information were the reasons the CFB first held back the matching money in December. Additionally, the board brought up Adams’ tardy submission of a financial disclosure form mandated by the city’s Conflicts of Interest Board. Adams’ attorneys, though, contend that the board’s reliance on the indictment is unfounded because the campaign has since produced the requested documentation.

Attorney Robert Spolzino stated in the complaint that an indictment is not a conviction and that a politically-driven indictment, which has been dismissed and lacks corroborating evidence, holds no value. He described the CFB’s actions as “arbitrary, capricious, violative of lawful procedure, and erroneous as a matter of law.” The complaint highlights that the board’s ruling,  overturned the year after intervention by the U.S. Department of Justice has no factual basis beyond the indictment.

The lawsuit brings to light that Adams’ capacity to run a viable reelection campaign as an independent candidate has been hampered by the board’s refusal to release funds. Frank Carone, Adams’ former chief of staff and campaign chair, slammed the CFB’s approach, saying, “After months of cooperation, it became clear that the CFB is intent on indirectly disenfranchising thousands of everyday New Yorkers who donated to Mayor Adams because his leadership has improved their lives. “

Although the CFB has refused to remark on the continuing lawsuit, it is anticipated that it will reexamine Adams’ eligibility for matching funds in July. The board’s matching program aims to increase modest contributions using taxpayer funds, while simultaneously restricting expenditures in order to lessen the impact of big donors in municipal elections.

Adams’ campaign contends that the board’s behavior undermines both his candidacy and the rights of his supporters, and it is pushing the court to order the release of funds so that a fair election battle can take place while the legal struggle goes on.