Adams' double donors: A look at the New York City mayor's most loyal backers

NEW YORK — Dozens of people — including real estate executives — donated to both Mayor Eric Adams’ reelection campaign and his legal defense fund. Not many want to talk about it.

The next mayoral election isn’t until November 2025, but over 2,500 people have already donated to Adams’ campaign, which has raked in nearly $3 million. Donations are capped at $2,100 under a city matching funds program.

Now there’s another way to directly financially support the mayor — his legal defense fund, established last year to help pay attorney fees related to a federal probe into his 2021 campaign. That fund caps giving at $5,000 per person, and it’s brought in over $732,000 from about 200 individuals.

Forty-one supporters have donated to both, a POLITICO analysis of public records found. Of those, 14 gave the maximum combined $7,100, and another seven donated $7,000. POLITICO attempted to reach all of them, but most did not respond or declined to comment. A spokesperson for Adams’ campaign also declined to comment.

Still, POLITICO’s analysis sheds light on patterns among the mayor’s top financial backers: A mix of loyalists, real estate leaders and others. 

Adams’ inner circle

Some of the double donors are familiar characters in Adams’ world. Chief among them is Jenifer Rajkumar, the Queens assemblymember who routinely appears by Adams’ side at public events. She contributed $2,500 to his legal defense fund and $1,000 to his reelection campaign. Rajkumar did not respond to requests for comment.

Then there’s Frank Carone, who is chairing the 2025 campaign. Carone stepped down as Adams' chief of staff at the end of 2022 to launch lobbying and consulting firm Oaktree Solutions with his brother, Anthony. Both Carone brothers, their mother Joanne and Frank’s wife Diana made maximum contributions to the reelection campaign and the legal defense fund.

“In my estimation the Mayor is an excellent leader, man for the moment, judicious temperament, and NYC is better because of his service,” Frank Carone said in a statement. “And, [I] will encourage anyone who cares about NYC to do the same — full stop.”

“Eric is my 4th son,” Joanne Carone said in a statement, calling Adams “a great mayor."

Anthony Carone said in a statement he supports the mayor because he “has the vision and leadership skills to guide the city I love though very difficult times.”

Diana Carone did not respond to a request for comment.

Weeks after the Carones donated to the legal defense fund, employees of Oaktree Solutions registered as lobbyists, landing Frank, Anthony and Diana on a list of people doing business with the city who are barred from giving to legal defense funds, along with their spouses.

A government reform group blasted the move, but Frank Carone told POLITICO he registered as a lobbyist with the state “in an effort to be transparent” and said he would not lobby the mayor’s office himself. Frank Carone rescinded his lobbying registration earlier this month, saying he only registered for training and compliance, the Daily News first reported.

Another maxxed-out donor in Adams’ inner circle is Lori Fensterman, a marketing executive at the law firm where Anthony Carone is a partner and Frank Carone is “of counsel.” Lori’s husband Howard founded the firm, and the Fenstermans and Carones are longtime business associates. (Howard Fensterman made a maximum donation to the reelection campaign, but has not given to the legal defense fund.)

“I’m a big believer in Eric Adams. I supported him from the very beginning, and I believe he’s the right person for the job in New York City,” Howard Fensterman said. Lori Fensterman did not respond to a request for comment.

Real estate backers

Adams’ double donor list is stacked with wealthy New York real estate families.

Trina and Sarah Cayre — the spouses of Joseph and Jack Cayre, who lead Midtown Equities — each gave $7,000 between the two funds. Midtown Equities is one of the largest real estate firms in the city, and its portfolio includes Casa Cipriani, a swanky private club in Lower Manhattan, where Adams has spent personal time and held a fundraising event.

Joseph and Jack Cayre appear on the list of people doing business with the city, and the Cayres’ donations to the legal defense fund were returned on Jan. 19, according to attorney Vito Pitta, who oversees the fund. Trina and Sarah Cayre did not respond to a request for comment.

Three members of the Gindi Family, which is behind Century 21 department stores and real estate firm Gindi Equities, are also double donors. Isaac, Edward and Ramond Gindi each gave between $1,750 and $2,750 to the combined funds.

Adams appeared at the ribbon cutting at the Century 21 reopening last year, and his remarks were introduced by Edward Gindi, who called him “one of the greatest mayors in New York City, a man without whom and his incredible community affairs team and his whole organization we could not have opened today.”

“Eric is a business-friendly mayor and he understands the importance of opening up businesses in any way, shape, or form, large or small,” he added. “I know that Mayor Eric Adams is going to bring back the glory of New York City, the way it was years and years ago.”

“I should have stock in this company,” Adams joked, referring to the amount of ties he’s bought from the store.

The Gindis did not respond to a request for comment.

Real estate mogul Alexander Rovt and his son Maxwell also appear on POLITICO's double donor list. The Rovts, who made their fortune in the fertilizer industry, own a massive real estate portfolio in New York and abroad, including a 29-story office tower on Wall Street.

Alexander Rovt also chairs One Brooklyn Health, the healthcare system behind two major hospitals in Brooklyn, and was sued by fellow board member Maurice Reid and former State Assemblymember Annette Robinson last year for allegedly making “reckless” and false statements about the system’s CEO and “lavishing expensive perks” on fellow board members.

The Rovts did not respond to a request for comment.

The others

Most of the double donors have little or no ostensible public connection to the mayor. Many are doctors, lawyers and businesspeople, and most keep low public profiles.

Attorney Leo Jacobs, who maxxed out his contributions to both funds, said he donated because Adams is “a man of good moral character” who has supported students with dyslexia.

Artashes Baghdasaryan, who runs a medical supply company, said Adams was simply “a candidate that I was supporting.”

“I supported him when he was going for the election, so I feel like [I wanted] to do my duties and help him out with the defense,” said Baghdasaryan, who gave $2,100 to Adams’ reelection campaign and $2,500 to his legal defense fund.

Others are connected to ethnic communities Adams has championed during his time as mayor and borough president.

Asef Bari — who runs a home care company, restaurant, party hall, supermarket, charity foundation and real estate firm, all baring the Bari name — contributed $7,000 to the combined funds. The Bari family hosted a fundraiser for Adams at their Long Island residence on Aug. 29, and the campaign raised $18,250 that day.

“I cannot say in words how much we love you, this community, the Bengali community. … You are always with us, whatever we need,” Bari said when introducing Adams.

“The next election coming, Eric Adams for 2025, we are with you,” he added.

“Think about the greatness. A hardworking family is able to … have the mayor of the most important city on the globe in your home, that says so much,” Adams said.

“When you have a mayor who is not your friend, but a mayor who considers himself to be your brother, you have the first Bengali mayor of the City of New York,” he added. “This is your moment.”

Bari did not respond to requests for comment.

Other members of New York’s Bangladeshi community also appeared on the double donors list, including Tameem Ahmed and Nusrat Ahmed, who work for Immigrant Elder Home Care, a Bengali-focused home care agency. Tameem Ahmed and Nusrat Ahmed did not respond to a request for comment.

Bari and Tameem Ahmed each donated $2,000 to the reelection campaign and Nusrat Ahmed donated $1,000 to the reelection campaign, all on Aug. 29. Bari, his wife Munmun, Tameem Ahmed and Nusrat Ahmed each donated $5,000 to the legal defense fund on Dec. 1.

Asif Khan, director of BHALO, a Bangladeshi advocacy group, donated $400 to the reelection campaign and $5,000 to the legal defense fund. Khan was quoted in a January City Hall news release bashing a public safety bill Adams later vetoed. Khan declined to comment.

Oleg Movsumov — a leader of Azzem International Foundation and Brooklyn Baku Friendship Association, according to tax filings, which are both Azerbaijani charities — contributed $4,600 total to the mayor’s reelection and legal defense fund. Movsumov did not respond to requests for comment.

Brooklyn Baku Friendship Association hosted a fundraiser to support Adams’ 2021 mayoral campaign on June 4, 2019, according to its Facebook page. That campaign raised $2,955 that day.

When he wasborough president, Adams declared Brooklyn and Baku, Azerbaijan, sister cities, and in 2016, Azerbaijan’s tourism ministry paid up to $4,999 for Adams to visit Baku, the Daily News reported.

Federal agents are reportedly examining the mayor's 2021 campaign’s relationship with the Turkish government, which has close ties to Azerbaijan. In November, the FBI raided the home of Rana Abbasova, Adams’ international affairs aide who is Azerbaijani and served as his liaison to Brooklyn’s Turkish community while he was Brooklyn borough president.