Diana Reyna owes NYC Campaign Finance Board $138,000

Rep. Tom Suozzi’s nominee for lieutenant governor, Diana Reyna, owes the city’s Campaign Finance Board $138,658 for “pending repayments of public funds,” the agency told the Post.

The former councilman’s debts date from her third council campaign in 2009 and have remained unpaid ever since.

New York City approves generous, taxpayer-financed matching funds for city office candidates, but the money comes with a blizzard of strings and reporting requirements.

“Campaigns must demonstrate all public funds received by providing documentation (invoices, contracts, payslips, etc.) for expenditures equal to the amount received,” said Matt Sollars, spokesman for the NYC Campaign Finance Board, adding that Reynas spent about US$31,000 – Dollars in qualifying spend were a far cry from what she received.

Long Island Democrat Suozzi won Reyna, a Democrat who represented part of Brooklyn and Queens, as his running mate in his main fight against incumbent Governor Hochul in February, citing her toughness and experience. The couple have tried to corner moderate and centrist voters by promising to reverse bail reform and cut state income taxes.

“Diana has always said she intends to repay anything owed from a previous campaign,” said Melisa Diaz, a spokeswoman for Reyna.

However, the arrears are causing a stir among the state’s democratic grandees.

“The question is whether Tom Suozzi did her job well enough to review her before he chose her to be his lieutenant governor,” Democratic Party leader Jay Jacobs told The Post. “This could be viewed by some as a judgment question.”

As a city council member, Reyna admitted to channeling discretionary funds to a senior center run by her mother-in-law. More money was sent to Striking Viking Story Pirates, a non-profit organization that offers after-school activities and was co-founded by her sister-in-law.

Last month, Hochul’s running mate, Lieutenant Gov. Brian Benjamin, back after being charged with bribery and corruption. This week, Hochul tapped upstate MP Antonio Delgado to replace him.

The problem was catnip for Suozzi, who has spent weeks using Benjamin to mock Hochul’s judgement.

“Their lack of judgment and inexperience can cost us everything if Democrats don’t wake up,” Suozzi said Thursday in a tweet.