NY’s $21B ‘unclaimed funds’ database includes Mamdani, Rihanna, Yoko Ono – are you on it too?
The New York state is sitting on a $21 billion pile of cash belonging to everyday Empire State denizens, but also some of its more recognizable celebs.
Money from unused gift cards, uncollected wages, tax refunds and investment sometimes fail to get into the hands of its rightful owners, leaving the state comptroller’s office to hold onto them in an “unclaimed funds” account until the payees come calling.
Wall Street exec and Republican comptroller candidate Joseph Hernandez, who is running against incumbent Democrat Tom DiNapoli, released a plan Thursday to try and more effectively return the $21 billion to its rightful owners.
While they include thousands of everyday New Yorkers, they also include a number of high-powered politicians like Mayor Zohran Mamdani and A-list celebs like Rihanna and Robert De Niro.
Some of the A-listers who have some change in state coffers include:
- Mayor Zohran Mamdani had funds from the Colorado Department of Revenue and his Assembly campaign also had a possible claim. His father Mahmoud also had funds available for Express Scripts.
- Gov. Kathy Hochul has unclaimed funds from Emblem Health and her GOP opponent Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman had funds available from Mint, a payments processor
- President Donald Trump, his parents, businesses, organization and other family members such as First Lady Melania Trump have scores of unclaimed funds. Melania’s include uncashed gift cards to luxury department store Bergdorf Goodman.
- Disgraced and deceased financier and sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein has over a dozen unclaimed funds cases, including credit balances at Sotheby’s and Neiman Marcus.
- Yoko Ono, the artist formerly married to late Beatles legend John Lennon, has unused gift cards for luxury brand Loro Piana addressed to The Dakota.
- Pop singer and entrepreneur Rihanna has cash-on-hand from the New York Department of Taxation and Finance and unclaimed wages from NBC Universal.
- Actor Robert De Niro is owed wages from NBC Universal and has other outstanding credits from Delta Dental.
- Comedian John Mulaney has cash available from the American Society for Composers, Authors and Publishers.
- Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg appears to have stocks, dividends and plenty of other unclaimed investment income available in state coffers.
- The campaigns for former New York Governors Eliot Spitzer, George Pataki, David Paterson and Andrew Cuomo
- The statewide Democratic and Republican parties as well as dozens of local party committees and the campaign arms of the state legislature all have outstanding funds
- The Democratic Socialists of America has funds from the State of Louisiana
Unclaimed funds are also available for the state Democratic and Republican parties, the Democratic Socialists of America as well as the campaigns of former Govs. Eliot Spitzer, George Pataki, David Paterson and Andrew Cuomo.