A new report details how relatives of a China-aligned tech billionaire have gained roles in the mayor’s movement
A Report Links a Maoist Financier’s Family to the Mamdani Political Network
A detailed investigation published by Jewish Insider on Sunday reports that the sister, niece and brother-in-law of Neville “Roy” Singham, a Shanghai-based software billionaire with documented ties to Chinese state interests, have been active participants in the political network that helped elect Mayor Zohran Mamdani and continue to play significant roles in shaping elements of his agenda. The report raises important questions about transparency, influence and the sources of political organizing infrastructure in New York City’s ascendant democratic socialist movement.
Who Are the Singhams and Why Does It Matter?
Neville Roy Singham made his fortune selling his software company, Thoughtworks, and has since used that wealth to fund a network of nonprofits that the New York Times reported in 2023 have collaborated with China’s propaganda apparatus. Singham now lives in Shanghai. His sister, Shanti Singham, holds a post at the state-controlled East China Normal University, where she is described as teaching Pan-Africanism, Marxism and Socialism. Her husband, Daniel Goodwin, served as Thoughtworks’ CFO and general counsel. Their daughter, Alicia Singham Goodwin, is a central figure in the Jewish Insider report.
Alicia Singham Goodwin and Her Role in Mamdani’s Campaign
Singham Goodwin ran “Jews for Zohran,” an independent canvassing initiative targeting Jewish voters, and bundled thousands of dollars in campaign contributions, including $1,000 each from her parents. She also served as political director of the far-left nonprofit Jews for Racial and Economic Justice, known as JFREJ. In a video posted to JFREJ’s Instagram, then-Democratic nominee Mamdani credited Singham Goodwin directly with the idea that became one of his signature campaign promises: making buses fast and free. “The idea of making buses fast and free was not my idea,” Mamdani said on stage with Sen. Bernie Sanders. “It was an idea I had given to me in a meeting with another New Yorker who was passionate about transit, Alicia Singham Goodwin.”
Activity After the Election
The report documents that the Singham-Goodwin family’s involvement did not end with Mamdani’s November victory. One week after his January inauguration, Singham Goodwin helped lead a New York City Democratic Socialists of America call with state legislators focused on developing a pressure campaign to win state approval for Mamdani’s proposed tax hikes on high earners. Materials from NYC-DSA meetings reviewed by Jewish Insider show that Singham Goodwin and her parents have collaborated on resolutions shaping the organization’s practices, including its candidate endorsement processes. More recently, the family has been involved in supporting Brad Lander, Mamdani’s endorsed candidate challenging Rep. Dan Goldman in a congressional race. Federal Election Commission filings show Singham Goodwin’s parents have also donated to Assemblywoman Claire Valdez, Mamdani’s endorsed candidate in another congressional contest.
What the Mayor’s Office Has Said, and Not Said
Mamdani’s team did not respond to repeated questions from Jewish Insider about the mayor’s relationship with Singham Goodwin and his reasons for consulting her as a candidate. No member of the Singham-Goodwin family replied to inquiries. NYC-DSA did not respond to queries about the family’s membership and roles. The absence of comment is not evidence of wrongdoing, but it is a notable lack of transparency on a question that goes directly to the question of whose ideas and whose resources are shaping the priorities of New York City’s government. The Federal Election Commission maintains public records of all campaign contributions, and readers can search contribution history directly. The New York City Campaign Finance Board maintains similar records for local elections. The congressional committee hearings on Singham’s network are part of the public record and can be accessed through Congress.gov. The picture that emerges from the Jewish Insider investigation is one of a tightly interwoven network in which family relationships, ideological alignment and financial connections overlap in ways that are difficult to untangle. Whether that network represents ordinary political organizing or something more concerning is a question readers and city officials alike should take seriously.
