Local political organization, The Unity Democratic Club (UDC), is calling out the “Dinowitz Democratic Team,” a slate of candidates the club alleges were recruited and funded by local Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz (A.D. 81), for allegedly violating a long-standing congressional ban on [political] campaign activity by nonprofits, a law administered by the IRS. Early voting begins on Saturday, June 15, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

 

A list of the various candidates running for office in Bronx County in the upcoming primaries in various races is included in a separate election-related story, which can be read here. Abigail Martin and Ramdat Singh are among the members of the Unity Democratic Club running for election, while Johanna Edmondson, Michael Heller, and Ben Jackson are among the members of the Benjamin Franklin Democratic Reform Club who are also running for election, the latter a part of the “Dinowitz Democratic Team.”

 

In a press release issued by The Unity Democratic Club on May 24, the members wrote, “Photographs from February, March, and April of this year show the nonprofit fitness club, Female Fight Club, which has received $5,000 in public funds in each of the last three years from Assemblyman Dinowitz’ son, Councilman Eric Dinowitz, being used to gather signatures for the team’s nominating petitions. Democratic State Committee candidate Johanna Edmondson is the founder and president of the business.”

 

The club went on to say that [then] Senator Lyndon Johnson’s law to prohibit 501(c)(3) [nonprofit] organizations from engaging in any political campaign activity was approved by Congress in 1954, and the IRS website notes that “Each election cycle, the IRS reminds 501(c)(3) exempt organizations to be aware of the ban on political campaign activity.”

Accompanying The Unity Democratic Club’s press release was a screenshot of two photos showing the inside of the Female Fight Club reception area and a clipboard which appears to show signatures and petitions seemingly for political canvassing purposes.

 

We asked Marcelo Lopez, Unity Democratic Club communications chair, if he could provide us with the original photos rather than a screenshot, in order to check the photos’ metadata and verify the dates on which they were taken, which he did, providing one additional photo when he did so and adding that it “more clearly shows the signatures and petitions side by side.” Those photos are attached and were taken on various dates in March.

 

According to its website, “Female Fight Club is a non-profit fitness club that aims for self-empowerment, strength development, self-healing, and adoption of positive behavioral changes in women through exercise.” It got off the ground in 2020 according to its website during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to its 990 tax filings, the nonprofit is established as a 501 (c) (3).

According to the IRS, to be tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, an organization must be organized and operated, exclusively for exempt purposes set forth in section 501(c)(3), and none of its earnings may inure to any private shareholder or individual. In addition, it may not be an action organization i.e., it may not attempt to influence legislation as a substantial part of its activities and it may not participate in any campaign activity for or against political candidates.

 

Under the Internal Revenue Code, all section 501(c)(3) organizations are absolutely prohibited from directly or indirectly participating in, or intervening in, any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for elective public office. Contributions to political campaign funds or public statements of position (verbal or written) made on behalf of the organization in favor of or in opposition to any candidate for public office clearly violate the prohibition against political campaign activity.  Violating this prohibition may result in denial or revocation of tax-exempt status and the imposition of certain excise taxes.

 

Certain activities or expenditures may not be prohibited depending on the facts and circumstances. For example, certain voter education activities (including presenting public forums and publishing voter education guides) conducted in a non-partisan manner do not constitute prohibited political campaign activity. In addition, other activities intended to encourage people to participate in the electoral process, such as voter registration and get-out-the-vote drives, would not be prohibited political campaign activity if conducted in a non-partisan manner.

 

On the other hand, voter education or registration activities with evidence of bias that (a) would favor one candidate over another; (b) oppose a candidate in some manner; or (c) have the effect of favoring a candidate or group of candidates, will constitute prohibited participation or intervention.

 

Female Fight Club is billed as “a gym for women by women,” and is located at 5912 Riverdale Avenue in the North Riverdale section of The Bronx, though in one section of the club’s website, The Bronx is not listed and the club’s address is shown as 5912 Riverdale Avenue, New York 10471. In another section, The Bronx is listed. The founder of the club is listed as Johanna Edmondson.

Meanwhile, in their press release, UDC members went on to say, “The first year in which Ms. Edmondson ran for State Committee, 2022, was the same year in which her organization received its first $5,000 allocation from Councilman Dinowitz. Ms. Edmondson had no prior experience running for office.” According to extracts from the NYC Discretionary Award Tracker, Female Fight Club received $5,000 in discretionary funding from the councilman’s office in 2022, 2023, and 2024.

 

The UDC press release continued, “As a location for petition signature collection, the nonprofit business, buttressed by public funds, appears to be a surrogate for the storefront office space on West 231st Street, formerly leased by the Benjamin Franklin Reform Democratic Club, the longtime political club of Assemblyman Dinowitz and Councilman Dinowitz, raising questions of a quid pro quo arrangement.”

 

District Leader Abigail Martin, a member of The Unity Democratic Club, called for the NYC Board of Elections to investigate and act on what she referred to as “the Dinowitz Team’s impropriety.” Martin said, “Using a nonprofit business for political purposes violates a tax code. Giving public funds to a nonprofit business which is then used for political purposes is corruption, pure and simple.”

 

Meanwhile, we mentioned to Lopez that the press release stated, “Photographs from February, March, and April of this year show the nonprofit fitness club” and asked for comment on this given the accompanying photos were all dated in March. Lopez replied in part, saying, “We have various pictures documenting this occuring during the entire NY petitioning period.”

According to findlaw.com, transparency is a cornerstone of 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporations, which are required by law to make their financial statements available to the general public, and this requirement includes an annual report.

 

While we did not see an annual report, Female Fight Club’s website cites a number of local businesses as its sponsors and the club also sells merchandise, including sports clothes and related items which display the club’s logo. Various membership offers and their prices are also listed, and its services are listed as “rental” and personal fitness training.

 

Meanwhile, an extract from the club’s 990 tax return filing for 2021 reads, “This organization generated $34,936.13 from donations for their wellness and fitness classes with qualified instructors. The organization in return had operating expenses of $28,615.26. Advertising $585.41, Bank Fees $150.0 Office Expense $634.72, Rent $16,743.78, Repairs $9,707.50 Utilities $793.84.”

 

In response to the question, “Did the organization engage in direct or indirect political campaign activities on behalf of or in opposition to
candidates for public office? If “Yes,” complete Schedule C, Part I,” the answer provided was “No.”

In response to the question, “List of Officers, Directors, Trustees, and Key Employees (list each one even if not compensated,” Johanna Brujan is listed as president, working 40 hours per week, and Martin Edmondson is listed as treasurer, working 10 hours per week.

 

In response to the question, “Enter amount of political expenditures, direct or indirect, as described in the instructions,” nothing was cited on the form.

Norwood News reached out to Female Fight Club, City Councilman Eric Dinowitz and the Benjamin Franklin Reform Democratic Club on June 3 for comment on this story. Matthew Rey contacted us, confirming he and his colleague were doing so on behalf of all three. After some exchanges on this story, we received the following response from Rey as “spokesperson for the Dinowitz Democratic Team.”

“The so-called Unity Democratic Team sure is good at creating division and using Trump-like misleading attacks against the only Black and Latina candidate in this race, further demonstrating why they’ve failed to grow the Bronx Democratic Party. Johanna Edmondson is an amazing community activist and business owner who is highly regarded throughout our community and the Bronx at large. She gets things done, unlike the Unity Democratic Club‘s slate of candidates, who have no positive achievements to run on and and a history of being out-of-step with the community, including calling to defund the police and using antisemitic tropes.”

 

Rey continued, “Their baseless mudslinging is a transparent attempt to distract from the incompetence that led to many of their candidates being removed from the ballot by the Board of Elections over the last two election cycles. It’s no wonder Borough President Vanessa Gibson and Congressmember Adriano Espaillat endorsed the Dinowitz Democratic Team. Johanna Edmondson and the rest of the Dinowitz Democratic slate are focused on empowering Democrats, supporting President Biden, and delivering safety and affordability for the Northwest Bronx.”

 

We later reached out to The Unity Democratic Club for a comment on the response provided by the Dinowitz Democratic Team to this story. “This is what happens when a political boss is in charge for so long,” said Unity Democrats President Betsey Knapp. “They forget that the public’s money is not supposed to be used to pay to keep you and your son in power. It’s a lot easier to get candidates on the ballot when you pay community nonprofits to help you do so. This is corruption, plain and simple.”

Meanwhile, Lopez added, “Jeff Dinowitz admitted in a deposition that he had never hired an African-American to work on his staff. He worked to stop families of color from enrolling at P.S. 24. The voters of our district are smart and understand what he is doing here. He is unwilling to take accountability for his actions and is trying to distract voters from his corruption.” Norwood News reached out to the Assemblyman’s office for comment on Lopez’s allegations.

 

Rey, later also speakng on behalf of the assemblyman, provided the following comment. “We’re used to hearing lies and untruths from Trump and his minions,” the statement read. “The so-called ‘Unity Club’ once again shows who they truly are and where their loyalties are – with a MAGA like attack that doesn’t deserve the time of day. Assemblymember Dinowitz was proud to have earned reelection in 2022 with almost two thirds of the vote – winning every neighborhood – because he gets results for people in every part of the North Bronx. This is more nonsense from a failing campaign and District Leaders who are focused on creating disunity. North Bronx Democrats won’t be fooled on June 25th, primary day.”

 

Meanwhile, Lopez added in reference to the feedback from the Dinowitz Democratic team, “They claim that Johanna is being targeted because she is the only Black & Latina candidate which, as a Black & Latino man myself, it is infuriating to see identity politics being used as a defense for corruption.”

 

It is not the first time the Benjamin Franklin Reform Democratic Club has been at the center of what could be described as questionable actions in support of both the assemblyman and the councilman in the lead up to an election, as previously reported, though the club, the assemblyman and the councilman deny any wrongdoing.

There had also been prior allegations of the assemblyman pulling strings, for want of a better expression, within the so-called, powerful “Bronx Democratic Party machine” in the past in favor of his son’s early political career as a councilman. The assemblyman denies any wrongdoing.

 

Norwood News also reached out to NYC Board of Elections on June 3 for a comment on this story. We did not receive a response. We also reached out to the assemblyman’s office for general comment on this story, aside from the allegations by Lopez referenced above. We only received the above-referenced comment via Rey.

 

As mentioned by Rey, the Dinowitz Democratic team has been endorsed by Espaillat, who represents parts of The Bronx and Northern Manhattan, and Gibson. We also reached out to both the borough president’s office and the congressman’s office for comment on this story. A representative from the borough president’s office replied, saying, “We have no comment. Thanks for reaching out.” We did not receive a response from the congressman’s office.

Click here to read our story on the councilman’s presentation last year on the City’s annual budget and how his office allocated various funds within District 11.

 

The primary elections for Congress, State, and Party Positions will be held on June 25. Early voting starts Saturday, June 15, until Sunday, June 23. The last day to register to vote is June 15 in the local primary. Find out who is running for office and where to vote here.

 

For a list of the various candidates running for office at various levels of government in the June 25 primary, click here, and to read some of our other recent election coverage, click here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.

 

Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to take into account the latest feedback received from various referenced parties and to clarify that the nonprofit is established as a 501 (c)(3).