John Liu Returns Campaign Funds—Unclear to Whom

Comptroller John Liu returned approximately $20,000 from his campaign funds last week after his bankroll for the 2013 mayoral race came under investigation for fraud.
John Liu Returns Campaign Funds—Unclear to Whom
New York City Comptroller John C. Liu on September 21, in New York City. (Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images)
Tara MacIsaac
11/28/2011
Updated:
10/1/2015
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Comptroller John Liu returned approximately $20,000 from his campaign funds last week after his bankroll for the 2013 mayoral race came under investigation for fraud. It is unclear to whom these funds were returned.

If the alleged straw donors did not donate the funds, to whom will the questionable donations be returned? asked the New York Post in an editorial on Monday.

John Liu’s campaign spokesperson did not respond to inquiries as of press deadline. New York City Campaign Finance Board spokeswoman, Ilona Kramer, explained that Liu will not report his refund officially until Jan. 15, 2012, which is the next disclosure deadline.

“There are many reasons that a campaign might refund a contribution and you'll see that some campaigns have substantial refunds,” wrote Kramer in an email.

Liu’s mayoral campaign took another hit this weekend when two private security companies filed a lawsuit against Liu for hiking the prevailing wage for security workers to $18.91 per hour, up from $11.50 per hour in 2007, according to NY1.

As city comptroller, Liu determines the prevailing wages that contractors must pay in order to be eligible for city contracts.

Liu encountered similar troubles earlier this year for hiking wages for movers. Liu has long had a close relationship with the city’s labor unions, the beneficiaries of the wage hikes.