Dwayne Montgomery spent nearly 30 years with the NYPD, rising to the rank of deputy inspector.

But on Friday, he found himself in handcuffs, charged in an alleged campaign finance fraud scheme that sought to buy influence with then-candidate for mayor Eric Adams in 2020 and 2021.

What You Need To Know

  • Six people have been indicted in a fundraising scheme tied to Mayor Eric Adams’ 2021 campaign

  • Adams is not accused of any wrongdoing, but longtime acquaintance Dwayne Montgomery, a former NYPD deputy inspector, is at the center of the case

  • Montgomery and others allegedly used “straw donors" to game the city’s public campaign finance system and maximize so-called matching funds

  • According to Manhattan D.A. Alvin Bragg, the defendants “planned to use the contributions as leverage in potential future requests of the Mayor’s Office”

In order to raise large sums of money and get around contribution limits, Montgomery and others allegedly made contributions in the names of other people, referred to as straw donors.

That would generate tens of thousands of dollars in taxpayer money through the city’s public campaign finance program.

In a news release, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said the defendants “planned to use the contributions as leverage in potential future requests of the Mayor’s Office.”

Adams is not implicated in the 32-page indictment, though Montgomery allegedly told a co-defendant that Adams “doesn’t want to do anything if he doesn’t get 25 Gs” — presumably meaning Adams wouldn’t do fundraisers that raised less than $25,000 for the campaign.

In a statement Friday, an Adams campaign spokesman said: “There is no indication that the campaign or the mayor is involved in this case or under investigation. The campaign always held itself to the highest standards, and we would never tolerate these actions. The campaign will, of course, work with the DA’s office, the Campaign Finance Board, and any relevant authorities.”

Montgomery pleaded not guilty, as did three other defendants who were arraigned Friday: Shamsuddin Riza, a relative of Montgomery who allegedly helped direct the scheme; Shahid Mushtaq, a principal of the company EcoSafety Consultants; and Riza’s accountant, Millicent Redick, who allegedly helped recruit straw donors.

Altogether, the 27-count indictment names six individuals, plus Ecosafety.

Adams said through a spokesman he doesn’t know any of the individuals except for Montgomery, who overlapped with Adams during his time in the NYPD.

Adams worked on criminal justice issues with Montgomery and knew him socially, according to his campaign.

After leaving the NYPD in 2009, Montgomery worked as a union official at Teamsters Local 237, though as of Friday, he’d been suspended.