Lori Knipel spent over $14K in campaign funds on dinners, cell phones, Poconos hotel: records

A longtime Brooklyn Democratic Party leader has spent more than $14,000 in political committee cash on pricey dinners, hotel stays and even a theater ticket membership — despite leaving office last year, The Post has learned.

Lori Knipel — a Brooklyn district leader for over 30 years — retired from her position in the 44th Assembly District in September 2024. 

But she’s continued to expense meals at restaurants, cellphone and internet bills, Amazon purchases, groceries and more at least 71 times since then, according to disclosure filings for her authorized multi-candidate committee — of which she is the sole member.

The state records show a whopping $7,069 of the expenses alone were simply marked “miscellaneous.”

The post-retirement spending could potentially violate state election laws, which dictate strict rules on how “leftover” campaign committee money can be spent prior to the entity’s official termination, experts said.

According to the Campaign Finance Handbook, remaining funds “must be legally dispersed” by either charitable or political donations, a transfer to another committee, a refund to contributors or simply turning them over to the New York State General Fund prior to termination.

Rules on “leftover” funds are unequivocal, said election lawyer Ben Kallos, a former City Council member for Manhattan.

“I never paid for meals as a candidate,” Kallos said.

“Candidates should not be using their account funds as piggy banks for second homes or dining out.” 

Former Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum added: “It doesn’t sound good.”

“She’s no longer a district leader, right? So why would [she] be using any of her funds for anything other than turning them over to the various places you’re supposed to turn them over to?”

Knipel, 71, insisted that she hadn’t done anything wrong when contacted by The Post this week.

“None of this is against the law,” she said Friday, “and everything that has done [sic] is in compliance with the law.”

A deeper review by The Post of the campaign committee records show similar meals and other expenses from Knipel’s last years in office, including at out-of-state restaurants, hotels and for an internet provider in Pennsylvania.

Between 2022 and her latest filing on July 15, Knipel has spent $16,309 at restaurants, records show, with a total of 144 itemized meals on the record, plus $24,945 in un-itemized “meal” and “food” spending for a total of $41,254.

Several of her apparent favorite Brooklyn eateries, including Skinflints where she spent a total $1,174 over that time frame — and Spring Garden ($2,465), Golden Z ($940) and Mancini’s ($820) — were outside of Knipel’s 44th Assembly District, which covers Park Slope, Windsor Terrace and Kensington. 

But the dining out went far beyond the borough, with her disclosures listing restaurants in Manhattan, Queens, Hicksville, Hauppauge, and as far as Portland, ME, as well as several visits to a sleepy town in the Poconos.

State election law allows for a broad usage of campaign and political committee money — and doesn’t prohibit meals as long as they are related to official duties — but funds may never be used for personal use at any time.

“The prohibition against personal use remains throughout,” a state Board of Elections spokesperson told The Post, though district leaders in the past have had apparent issues with complying.

When asked for details about the meals, Knipel said that she received reimbursement for them because she is “taking meetings on the phone, Zoom meetings,” and that “it’s ok, because I am working constantly.”

“It is perfectly legal,” Knipel added, of the 31 PA-based meals expensed since 2022, adding that she has a second home in the state, which could explain $69.99 spent on a PA-based internet provider in 2024, according to the filings.

Campaign and elections lawyer Paul Newell — also a Manhattan district leader — said her explanation was tenuous, at best.

“I do not believe that taking a phone call during a meal makes that meal a legitimate expense,” Newell told The Post.

Standards for spending funds are “very clear and very obvious,” said Gotbaum, the former public advocate.

“It wasn’t a difficult standard to keep,” she said of her time in office.

“We are elected to do one thing, but we’re not elected to do things for ourselves.”

Knipel added that some of the PA meals were with members of the Brooklyn Democratic Club, but refused to specify who — and then accused the Post reporter of writing a “hatchet hit” because she hasn’t endorsed Democratic mayoral nominee, Zohran Mamdani.

Knipel said her political committee, called Brooklyn Independent Democrats, is actually a club, and that any spending is related to political actions of the club by “either myself or somebody else in the club.” 

“The only reason it was reimbursed to me is because I laid out the money for others,” Knipel claimed. 

“Everything I do is associated with the Democratic Party in one way or another,” she said, “doing work on my own time without any compensation.

“I should be compensated in some way as I am doing this work,” she said.

Despite the committee containing disclosure records dating back to 2002, none of the politicos or election lawyers The Post spoke with had ever heard of it — and no digital footprint for it appears online.

A 2022 form filed out by the committee treasurer lists Knipel as the only member of the multi-candidate committee.

Sources said Knipel should be lauded for her dedication to poll workers and for pro-bono legal work she has done in the community.

“It is not an easy job that takes true dedication and time without any compensation,” Knipel wrote in a 2022 district leader questionnaire, where she also advocated for more transparency of party finances.