Sinn Féin’s US-based political and fundraising arm has been forced to amend regulatory filings after it failed to disclose details of free office space donated by a big New York builder, as well as free legal services.
Friends of Sinn Féin USA, whose headquarters are in New York, filed a correction to the US Department of Justice in October outlining an inaccuracy in an earlier report that stated it had not received anything of value other than money in the six months running up to the end of April.
In the amended filing, the organisation disclosed it had received rent-free office space from Eurotech Construction Corp, a New York builder founded by a multimillionaire Sinn Féin donor, Co Tyrone native Fay Devlin.
Mr Devlin was the largest individual contributor to the organisation last year, with a donation of $15,000. Online records indicate that many donors to Friends of Sinn Féin are in the building and construction sector.
Election 2024 live updates: Another busy day on the campaign trail as first poll flags tight race
First election poll shows it wouldn’t take much for the race to start looking very tight
Your top stories on Friday: More than 4,600 Irish teachers working abroad; support for Independents rises in poll
Michael O’Leary wouldn’t employ teachers. I wouldn’t hire him to campaign for me
The organisation also disclosed that it received pro-bono legal or agent services from Mark D Guilfoyle, a US-based attorney with offices in Kentucky and Cincinnati.
Election Daily: has Sinn Féin improved its standing with working class voters?
Harry McGee and Sarah Burns, who have accompanied politicians from several parties as they have canvassed for votes in the past week, join Hugh to talk about the issues that are coming up on doorsteps. In Dublin South Central and Dublin West, Sarah has noticed a less negative sentiment towards Sinn Féin. That's good news for the party as it seeks to add second seats in constituencies where it dominated in 2020 but lost support in local elections and opinion polls.Sinn Féin will also be happy to hear that housing is the issue coming up most often, with immigration a less prominent concern than during the summer. In Dun Laoghaire, Harry was on the canvas with Green Party TD Ossian Smyth, who faces a challenge to hold onto his seat in a constituency that could tell us a lot about which way the 2024 general election is going for the coalition parties.
The services, according to FOSF-USA, should have been disclosed in a regulatory filing covering “things of value”, which includes the likes of interest-free loans, expense-free travel, favoured stock purchases, favoured treatment over competitors and what the US department of justice describes as “kickbacks and the like”.
In response to emailed queries, Mr Guilfoyle said that it had come to his attention after filing the most recent report that he had answered the question incorrectly. “Accordingly, I filed an amendment to the six-month filing on October 10, fully disclosing the mistake and providing the correct information.”
Mr Guilfoyle said that for several years he has served as the president, treasurer and registered agent for the organisation on a volunteer basis, with no compensation.
“Where warranted, we have reported that Friends of Sinn Féin has received the value of such services on a pro-bono basis. The value is nominal and the Department of Justice filing does not require that the value be quantified.”
Of the inaccurate filing, Mr Guilfoyle said: “I find these occasional reminders of my fallibility to be quite useful.” Eurotech Construction did not respond to queries.
The organisation uses funds raised to buy ads in high-profile US newspapers such as the New York Times and Washington Post calling for an Irish unity referendum in the run-up to St Patrick’s Day. It has also funded trips to the US for senior Sinn Féin political figures.
It also undertakes lobbying activity around St Patrick’s Day, hosting a breakfast meeting with the Biden administration’s special envoy for Nothern Ireland, Joe Kennedy III, last year. It also sent $51,000 (€47,700) back to the party’s Belfast base, according to official filings, which require foreign agents of political parties to outline their activities.
It also spent almost $70,000 on an outing to Hudson National Golf Club in New York used to raise funds for the organisation. It organises briefings and meetings in the US attended by party leader Mary Lou McDonald and finance spokesman Pearse Doherty.
Mr Guilfoyle has previously said the funds transferred back to Belfast are for “permissible election expenses in the North”.
The organisation has raised more than $2 million over the past five years. It is precluded from funding local, European and Dáil campaigns in the Republic.
- Sign up for push alerts and have the best news, analysis and comment delivered directly to your phone
- Join The Irish Times on WhatsApp and stay up to date
- Listen to our Inside Politics podcast for the best political chat and analysis
- Sign up to our Inside Politics newsletter to get the behind-the-scenes take direct to your inbox
