Fact Check: Did AOC and her brother make $6M from city grocery store deals under Mamdani?

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Viral posts claim that Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and her brother secretly purchased two condemned stores in Queens and the Bronx and are poised to make about $6 million after New York City, under Mayor Zohran Mamdani, agreed to buy and renovate the properties.

The claim gained traction as New York City continues to debate expanding publicly supported grocery initiatives under Mayor Zohran Mamdani's administration. Let’s fact-check the claim.

Claim: Zohran Mamdani approved a $6M payout to AOC and her brother

A viral social media post claimed that AOC and her brother had secretly purchased two condemned stores in Queens and the Bronx before New York City, under Zohran Mamdani, agreed to acquire and renovate the properties.

The post stated, "Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and her brother quietly purchased two condemned stores in Queens and the Bronx. The city under Mayor Mamdani has already agreed to buy and renovate them. When the deals close, AOC and her brother will split roughly $6 million in pure profit — nearly $3 million each."

The post also criticized AOC's political positions, claiming, "The same woman who spends every day screaming about 'the rich' and 'tax the billionaires' is about to cash in on taxpayer-funded 'city-owned' grocery stores." 

Without providing any evidence, it further alleged, "How much of that $6 million is Mamdani's kickback? We'll probably never know." It concluded with broader political commentary, stating, "In case you were wondering, that's how communism really works," and, "The people at the top get everything. The workers scrape by. Same story, different century."

Fact Check: False, no evidence supports the claim

The claim is false. No credible evidence supports the allegation that AOC or her brother purchased condemned stores in Queens and the Bronx that New York City plans to acquire for Mayor Zohran Mamdani's municipal grocery initiative. Likewise, no evidence shows that either of them stands to earn approximately $6 million from the project.

Extensive searches of news reports, official announcements, property records, and financial disclosures uncovered no evidence that AOC or her brother, Gabriel Ocasio-Cortez, purchased any condemned stores in Queens or the Bronx. No credible news outlet or government agency has reported such transactions or linked them to the city's grocery store initiative.

AOC's most recent financial disclosures list modest assets and student loan liabilities but do not disclose any commercial real estate holdings consistent with the viral claim. She has also publicly stated that she rents her home, further contradicting the allegation that she secretly invested in condemned commercial properties slated for city acquisition.

Mamdani's administration has proposed opening five city-owned or city-supported grocery stores, one in each borough, with about $70 million in capital funding. The initiative aims to lower food costs by offering discounts of up to 30% on a core basket of produce, meat, seafood, and select staple items, while private operators manage the stores under city pricing guidelines.