Common Cause/NY Files Complaint with CFB Over Cuomo's NEW Potential Violations of Campaign Finance Law

NEW YORK, NY (06/03/2025) (readMedia)-- Today, Common Cause New York submitted a formal complaint to the New York City Campaign Finance Board (CFB) urging the Board to investigate potential violations of campaign finance laws by the Cuomo campaign and Tusk Strategies. The complaint follows reporting from Politico last month that revealed Tusk Strategies and its principals have been "actively involved in promoting and supporting Andrew Cuomo's mayoral campaign" outside standard, acceptable practices. The complaint states that their actions "suggest coordination and in-kind donations that have not been properly disclosed."

Read the full complaint attached.

The complaint urges the CFB to specifically investigate whether Tusk Strategies and the Cuomo campaign disclosed the well-reported support related to Cuomo's campaign in public expenditures. The complaint also urges the CFB to probe whether Chris Coffey, CEO of Tusk Strategies, and Shontell Smith, Partner/Head of New York Practice at Tusk Strategies, have provided professional services to Mr. Cuomo's campaign and if they were properly reported as in-kind contributions.

The complaint continues, "We believe that such an investigation will lead the Board to the same conclusion that we have arrived at: the seriousness and the persistence of the violations by the Cuomo campaign demand that the campaign be required to refund all matching funds and be disqualified from receiving any further public funds."

The Cuomo campaign's potential violation of campaign finance laws is just the latest in a series of reckless behavior by the campaign. Last week, the CFB announced it was withholding an additional $675,000 in public matching funds from Andrew Cuomo's 2025 mayoral campaign due to his campaign's illegal coordination with the Fix the City super PAC, following an earlier decision to withhold $620,000 for a similar offense.

Background

In response to repeated violations of campaign finance law by Cuomo and Eric Adams, Common Cause/NY announced last week a new billboard in Times Square urging the CFB to halt all new matching funds for Adams and Cuomo. Since December, the Board has withheld more than $4 million from the two candidates for their improper conduct, but is continuing to consider sending additional funds to both campaigns.

Common Cause New York has previously urged the Board to deny funds to both Adams and Cuomo for their continued refusal to abide by New York City's campaign finance laws. In December, Common Cause/NY Executive Director Susan Lerner sent a letter to the Campaign Finance Board urging them to reject Adams' request for matching funds given his 2021 campaign's, "persistent and pervasive... disregard for numerous obligations and responsibilities under the Campaign Finance Law." Last month, Lerner issued a statement urging the Board to "deny Cuomo – and any others who violate its coordination rules - all funds, as well as take advantage of all available enforcement actions."

New York City's public matching fund program allows candidates to receive an 8-to-1 match for any small-dollar contribution up to $250. The program sets a maximum amount that participating campaigns can spend on their race, and limits on how they can spend that money. Despite repeated efforts to audit his 2021 campaign, Adams has refused to cooperate with the CFB's request for accurate campaign records and information for over three years. The audit into his 2021 campaign covers information as basic as payroll records and bank statements, specifics of fundraising events, and inappropriate expenditures paid out.