{"id":23589,"date":"2026-06-03T19:47:59","date_gmt":"2026-06-03T19:47:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/she-hired-investigators-to-track-her-opponent\/"},"modified":"2026-06-03T19:47:59","modified_gmt":"2026-06-03T19:47:59","slug":"she-hired-investigators-to-track-her-opponent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/she-hired-investigators-to-track-her-opponent\/","title":{"rendered":"She hired investigators to track her opponent"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

FIRST UP: <\/b>Mayor Zohran Mamdani<\/b>\u2019s commitment to back Rep. Adriano Espaillat<\/b> was initially so ironclad they shook hands on it last summer. But Mamdani broke that promise last week when he endorsed Espaillat\u2019s primary opponent, democratic socialist Darializa Avila Chevalier<\/b> \u2014 and the fallout is mounting. Rep. Nydia Vel\u00e1zquez<\/b>, an early supporter of Mamdani\u2019s 2025 mayoral run, said she\u2019s not sure she can trust the mayor anymore after the Espaillat snub and won\u2019t take just his word on anything going forward. \u201cI will say I want it in writing,\u201d Vel\u00e1zquez said.<\/p>\n

Read more from Blue Light News\u2019s Chris Sommerfeldt and Madison Fernandez here<\/i><\/b><\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

MANNY ADDRESSES: <\/b>Francesca Castellanos has run for state and city office in Upper Manhattan eight times, and lost every single time.<\/p>\n

In her ninth bid for public office, she\u2019s going to even greater lengths to oust her local assemblyman, Manny De Los Santos.<\/p>\n

Castellanos has spent $8,000 of her own money on private investigators to surveil him at his wife\u2019s Rockland County home and to stake out the Washington Heights apartment where De Los Santos says he lives, and she\u2019s circulated thousands of flyers that question his residency and include a photo of his young child.<\/p>\n

De Los Santos says Castellanos, a Spanish-language interpreter, is harassing him and his family. Castellanos says she\u2019s applying well-intentioned scrutiny to a public official who, she claims, lives way outside the district he represents. And election law says the residency requirement for state legislative candidates actually isn\u2019t that strict.<\/p>\n

\u201cI understand that public service comes with scrutiny. But this opponent has crossed a line,\u201d De Los Santos said in a statement. \u201cMy opponent has spent thousands of dollars on private investigators to follow me and even my children.\u201d<\/p>\n

On Monday, Castellanos filed a complaint with Attorney General Letitia James alleging her opponent \u201cmoved out of Northern Manhattan, moved to the suburbs, cashed his taxpayer paycheck, and continues to hold a political seat he abandoned.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMr. De Los Santos receives an annual salary of $142,000 as an Assemblymember. He has chosen suburban life for his own children, who attend well-funded Rockland County schools, while families in Northern Manhattan struggle with overcrowded classrooms and insufficient resources,\u201d the complaint reads.<\/p>\n

James\u2019 office would not comment on the allegations but said they\u2019ve received Castellanos\u2019 letter.<\/p>\n

Castellanos\u2019 call for the state\u2019s top prosecutor to investigate her opponent\u2019s residency is the latest act from a perennial candidate and local politics junkie who has spent the last two decades trying to oust the army of elected officials allied with Rep. Adriano Espaillat. This time, her opponent says, she\u2019s gone too far.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat is not politics. It is wrong,\u201d De Los Santos said. \u201cI am an Assemblymember, but I am a father first. My children should not be dragged into a political campaign. This needs to stop.\u201d<\/p>\n

Castellanos\u2019 complaint includes images from a grainy video recorded on April 12 by R.Q. Investigations outside a home owned by De Los Santos\u2019 wife, Josenia Dominguez, who serves as the chief administrative officer for Public Advocate Jumaane Williams. The images show a man who appears to be De Los Santos entering a two-car garage home in the Hudson Valley. Other photographs from the following day show a man again identified as De Los Santos raking leaves at the property. A different private investigator hired by Castellanos stood watch inside the Washington Heights apartment building where De Los Santos says he lives on two April mornings. That private eye, Michael Cotto, said in a signed affidavit that he never spotted De Los Santos or anyone else enter or exit the unit.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe’s a public figure, and he’s lying,\u201d Castellanos claimed to Playbook, adding that her scrutiny of him is completely within bounds. \u201cIf he doesn’t want it, then he shouldn’t run for public office.\u201d<\/p>\n

She denied De Los Santos\u2019 claim that she assigned an investigator to watch his children and said she only told the shamus to surveil the Assemblymember.<\/p>\n

Dominguez told Playbook she and De Los Santos are separated and co-parent their children, and that De Los Santos has lived in his Manhattan apartment \u201cliterally his entire life \u2014 since he arrived from the Dominican Republic at the age of 12 years old.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI hope this clarifies whatever narrative that crazy woman wants to spread,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Castellanos\u2019 complaint includes records showing that De Los Santos\u2019 Washington Heights apartment was placed under receivership in 2024. She says building staff told her they weren\u2019t aware of De Los Santos living there and pointed to a 2014 Daily News article<\/a> describing allegations that his apartment was \u201cwarehousing\u201d voters, with six different people registered to vote out of the unit, including two with the same name born a month apart.<\/p>\n

\u201cHis relatives live there, but he does not live there,\u201d she asserted.<\/p>\n

In 2024, when Castellanos was mounting her second Assembly bid, she and an ally, Michael Hano, began gathering evidence to try to prove De Los Santos lived outside the city. Two years prior, Hano himself had launched a quixotic primary challenge against Espaillat<\/a>.<\/p>\n

According to Hano and Castellanos, the pair noticed that scholastic athletic records indicated at least one of De Los Santos\u2019 children was enrolled in Rockland County public schools and that property records showed his wife owning a home in Clarkstown.<\/p>\n

So Hano said he and Castellanos drove there in May 2024 and saw Dominguez and the couple\u2019s kids from afar. A week or two later, Hano claims he \u201cswung by\u201d the house again around 11 p.m. because it was on the way home from a karaoke night he attended in Haverstraw.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just drove past to see for instance if a car was in the driveway, you know, and as I\u2019m driving past, there he is in the window,\u201d Hano said. \u201cIt’s not like I was sitting there, scoping the place out. In fact I had a friend with me, I was coming home from karaoke that night. These people, when they take public office, they’re giving up a little bit of privacy.\u201d<\/p>\n

That year, Castellanos says she mailed about 4,000 Spanish-language flyers telling residents De Los Santos \u201cresides in the suburbs.\u201d The flyer included a photo of one of De Los Santos\u2019 children, which she pulled from his Instagram account, and the address of his wife\u2019s Rockland County home. (Hano says he told Castellanos at the time he thought this was wrong, and stopped talking to her after this happened, though the two have resumed communication.)<\/p>\n

By the time 2026 rolled around, Castellanos was again running for the De Los Santos seat after losing a City Council race<\/a> to Carmen De La Rosa last year. In April, she sued to knock De Los Santos off the ballot on the grounds that he doesn\u2019t live in the district, but she says the case was tossed out on a technicality when the judge asserted Castellanos didn\u2019t serve her opponent before the deadline. De Los Santos, for his part, also sued unsuccessfully to knock Castellanos off the ballot, but Castellanos represented herself and won.<\/p>\n

She\u2019s also printing more flyers about his residency \u2014 this time up to 10,000. Last month, she says a city health inspector came to her door because someone filed a complaint that a foul odor was coming from her apartment, where she lives with six cats. Without evidence, Castellanos suspects De Los Santos was behind it, so she says she\u2019s sending flyers to neighbors of the Rockland County home. De Los Santos says he has no idea what she\u2019s talking about.<\/p>\n

The state constitution says any state legislative candidate must reside in their district in the 12 months before their election. But a 2016 Court of Appeals decision reaffirmed previous rulings that a candidate can legally claim residence anywhere they have \u201clegitimate, significant and continuing attachments,\u201d as long as there\u2019s no fraud, deception or \u201creason to assume that a residence has been asserted merely for the purposes of voting.\u201d<\/p>\n

De Los Santos said his Assembly district \u201chas been my home for decades\u201d and \u201cremains my home today.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI am a proud resident of District 72,\u201d he said. \u201cI continue to live in and represent the community that raised me and that I have spent my life serving.\u201d<\/p>\n

From the Capitol<\/h3>\n

\"An<\/p>\n

GO NEW YORK: <\/b>The Uber-funded group that spent heavily on Gov. Kathy Hochul\u2019s push to overhaul car insurance regulations is unveiling a final TV ad today with a Knicks theme.<\/p>\n

The ad features<\/a> delirious Knicks fans celebrating the team\u2019s success while the \u201cHallelujah\u201d chorus plays.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery once in a while New Yorkers stand united, celebrating as one, overcome with joy and reveling in an unexpected and remarkable achievement: Yeah, Governor Hochul\u2019s lowered New York\u2019s sky-high car insurance,\u201d the ad\u2019s narrator says.<\/p>\n

That claim is an exaggeration: The governor herself has said New Yorkers won\u2019t see a difference in car insurance premiums immediately.<\/p>\n

Just in time for the NBA Finals, the basketball-themed spot will bring the advertising blitz full circle after it launched with a Buffalo Bills-centric ad at the start of the year. \u2014<\/i><\/b> Nick Reisman<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

HELPING NONTRADITIONAL STUDENTS: <\/b>The State University of New York is launching two new initiatives aimed at boosting supports for adult learners and students with kids.<\/p>\n

The university system intends to work with community colleges to increase the number of in-person courses offered on evenings and weekends. And the final state budget included $12 million in additional operating dollars for community colleges.<\/p>\n

SUNY is also establishing a grant program to help campuses better support student parents, including the addition of child-friendly lounges and study areas.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause one in five college students across the country are parents, we’re boosting support for student-parents,\u201d SUNY Chancellor John King said during his annual \u201cState of the University\u201d address in Albany today.<\/p>\n

The state has also been taking steps to help college students with kids.<\/p>\n

Earlier this year, Hochul moved to extend child care hours on community college campuses to align with the schedules of students enrolled in high-demand programs. SUNY has also used $10.4 million in state funding to open additional child care centers and increase the number of spots.<\/p>\n

The state kicked off a program this school year that offers free tuition to older students seeking associate degrees in high-demand fields at SUNY and the City University of New York. \u2014<\/i> Madina Tour\u00e9<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

FROM CITY HALL<\/h3>\n

\"New<\/p>\n

HIGH HOPES:<\/b> Mamdani offered a bold prediction this morning for the NBA Finals.<\/p>\n

\u201cKnicks in four \u2014 inshallah,\u201d Mamdani said with a chuckle on Hot 97 radio.<\/p>\n

For their first finals since 1999, the Knicks are playing the San Antonio Spurs tonight in Texas. The Knicks have been on a red-hot run in this year\u2019s playoffs, winning 11 straight games, but it\u2019d no doubt be a steep feat for the hometown team to sweep the Spurs as the mayor prophesies.<\/p>\n

Mamdani\u2019s office wouldn\u2019t immediately say if the mayor will attend any of the games the Knicks are playing at Madison Square Garden (the first home game is Monday night).<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m going to be at a lot of different watch parties tonight \u2014 I can’t wait,\u201d Mamdani told Playbook at City Hall this morning when asked if he planned on attending the watch party hosted inside MSG tonight<\/a> for Game 1.<\/p>\n

Mamdani spokesperson Sam Raskin declined to immediately provide more details on where the mayor will be. Raskin did tout that the mayor\u2019s office played a role in securing a permit for a separate watch party to be held outside the Garden tonight. (The NYPD previously suggested no more such bashes<\/a> would be permitted after one turned especially chaotic during the Eastern Conference Finals last month.)<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a Knicks fan and a New Yorker, the mayor feels the energy and excitement this team has brought to the city,\u201d Raskin said. \u201cThis is a special moment for all five boroughs, and we’re thrilled these celebrations are moving forward. Let’s go Knicks.”<\/p>\n

Politics have already loomed heavy over the finals. On Sunday, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott posted an AI-generated image<\/a> on X of himself dunking over a Knicks jersey-clad Hochul, as President Donald Trump can be seen sitting courtside laughing.<\/p>\n

Speaking of Trump: The president, who\u2019s widely reviled in his native New York, said last week he will likely attend one of the Knicks\u2019 home games at the Garden after being invited by team owner James Dolan. \u2014 Chris Sommerfeldt\u00a0<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

IN OTHER NEWS<\/h3>\n

\u2014 LONE STAR BACKING: <\/b>A pro-Palestinian Texas businessman has poured major funding into American Prioirties, an anti-Israel super PAC that\u2019s backing Brad Lander, Darializa Avila Chevalier and Claire Valdez\u2019s congressional campaigns. (New York Post<\/a>)<\/p>\n

\u2014 SOUND THE ALARMS: <\/b>Major fires have more than doubled in the Bronx and are being linked to deteriorating electrical infrastructure in older buildings. (Gothamist<\/a>)<\/p>\n

\u2014 ALL ABOARD: <\/b>Mamdani has tapped former Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan and former budget chief Melanie Hartzog to represent New York City on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority board. (New York Daily News<\/a>)<\/p>\n

Missed this morning\u2019s New York Playbook? We forgive you. <\/b>Read it here<\/i><\/a>.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

FIRST UP: Mayor Zohran Mamdani\u2019s commitment to back Rep. Adriano Espaillat was initially so ironclad they shook hands on it last summer. But Mamdani broke that promise last week when he endorsed Espaillat\u2019s primary opponent, democratic socialist Darializa Avila Chevalier \u2014 and the fallout is mounting. Rep. Nydia Vel\u00e1zquez, an early supporter of Mamdani\u2019s 2025 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":23590,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23589","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics"],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23589","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23589"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23589\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23590"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23589"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23589"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23589"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}