Exclusive | Lefty billionaire George Soros funneled $7 M to groups pushing woke bills that could spring NY’s worst killers, including ‘Son of Sam’

Nypost · May 23, 2026 · 1044 words · By Rich Calder; Tina Moore

Public Safety vs. Criminal Justice Reform Influence of Wealthy Donors in Politics

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What to know about Public Safety vs. Criminal Justice Reform

Lefty billionaire George Soros funneled $7 M to groups pushing woke bills that could spring NY’s worst killers, including ‘Son of Sam’ See more of our coverage in your search results.

Claims checked 12

Techniques found 5

Topics 2

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center0%

Right100%

1 source compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Lefty billionaire George Soros funneled $7 M to groups pushing woke bills that could spring NY’s worst killers, including ‘Son of Sam’ See more of our coverage in your search results.

Why it matters

Add The New York Post on GoogleFar-left billionaire George Soros has funneled more than $7 million to groups behind an Albany lobbying effort to pass a pair of woke parole bills that critics warn could lead to the freeing of “Son of Sam” serial killer David…

Common ground

Soros’ grant-making network gave at least $7.1 million since 2016 to eight of 15 organizations that are founding members of a purported “grassroots coalition” called “The People’s Campaign for Parole Justice,” Open Society Foundation records reveal.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Name Calling / Labeling, Appeal to Fear: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Public Safety vs. Criminal Justice Reform story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that Zuckerberg reportedly stopped funding FWD.us last year?
How does this story connect Public Safety vs. Criminal Justice Reform with Influence of Wealthy Donors in Politics over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/05/23/us-news/george-soros-funneled-7-m-to-groups-pushin…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 5 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

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Loaded Language 90% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

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Name Calling / Labeling 85% confidence

Attaching a negative label to a person or group to reject them without evidence.

Why it matters: Recognizing name calling / labeling helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

warning

Appeal to Fear 90% confidence

Building support by instilling anxiety or panic in the audience.

Why it matters: Recognizing appeal to fear helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

warning

Appeal to Pity 70% confidence

Evoking sympathy to win support rather than using logical arguments.

Why it matters: Recognizing appeal to pity helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

warning

Ad Hominem 80% confidence

Attacking the person making the argument rather than the argument itself.

Why it matters: Recognizing ad hominem helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 12 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 4

info Single Source 3

schedule Pending 2

help Insufficient Evidence 2

verified Verified By Reference 1

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Claim 1: “Zuckerberg reportedly stopped funding FWD.us last year”

CORROBORATED

Multiple web sources (including a report on billionaire philanthropy and a specific mention of the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative) confirm that Zuckerberg stopped funding FWD.us in 2025.

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web search NEUTRAL — Mark Elliot Zuckerberg is an American businessman and programmer who co-founded the social media service Facebook and its parent company Meta Platforms.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Zuckerberg

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web search NEUTRAL — Dec 19, 2025 ... Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan's philanthropy organization did not fund FWD.us in 2025. Zuckerberg cofounded the immigration reform ...
https://www.facebook.com/Insiderinventions/posts/mark-zucker…

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web search NEUTRAL — Dec 22, 2025 ... But in 2025, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI) quietly stopped funding FWD.us—its first year without support from Zuckerberg; his wife ...
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/billionaire-philanthropy-grow…

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Claim 2: “David McClary... was sentenced to 25 years to life for assassinating rookie NYPD officer Edward Byrne... in 1988”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 3: “Berkowitz, 72, is incarcerated at Shawangunk Correctional Facility in upstate Wallkill, serving 25 years to life in prison. He has been denied parole 12 times.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was provided or found regarding David Berkowitz's current age, facility, or parole denial count.

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Claim 4: “The second, the Fair and Timely Parole bill, sponsored by socialist state Sen. Julia Salazar (D-Brooklyn) and Assemblyman David Weprin (D-Queens), would require the state parole board to release convicts regardless of the severity of their crimes unless they are a “current” danger to the public.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm that the Fair and Timely Parole bill is sponsored by Sen. Julia Salazar and Assemblyman David Weprin and aims to make it easier for eligible convicts to receive parole.

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web search NEUTRAL — The Fair and Timely Parole bill’s lead sponsors are radical socialist state Sen. Julia Salazar (D-Brooklyn) and Assemblyman David Weprin (D-Queens). Front page of the New York Post with "SON OF SAM" h…
https://nypost.com/2026/05/03/us-news/nys-worst-killers-incl…

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web search NEUTRAL — Assembly Member David Weprin, who sponsors the Fair and Timely Parole Act aimed at making it easier for those eligible for parole to receive it, named the bill as his top priority in the area of corre…
https://www.cityandstateny.com/policy/2025/06/parole-and-sen…

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web search NEUTRAL — The Fair and Timely Parole bill is sponsored by Queens and Brooklyn State Senator Julia Salazar and Queens Assemblymember David Weprin.
https://queenseagle.com/all/2023/1/24/the-people-left-behind…

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Claim 5: “The far-left kingmaker has poured more than $40 million over the past decade into supporting soft-on-crime candidates in district attorney races nationwide — and hundreds of millions of dollars more into organizations backing so-called “social justice” prosecutor candidates... according to the conservative think tank Heritage Foundation.”

CORROBORATED

Two independent web sources confirm the figure of $40 million spent by George Soros to elect 'social justice' prosecutors over the last decade.

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web search NEUTRAL — George Soros is a Hungarian and American investor and philanthropist. As of May 2025, he has a net worth of US$7.2 billion, having donated more than $32 billion to the Open Society Foundations, of whi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Soros

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web search NEUTRAL — Liberal billionaire George Soros spent at least $40 million over the last decade to answer that question, according to our latest research.
https://nypost.com/2022/06/08/how-george-soros-is-remaking-a…

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web search NEUTRAL — He added, “Over the past decade, George Soros has spent $40 million to elect 75 of his chosen prosecutors. In campaigns from Houston and Los Angeles to Philadelphia and Orlando, Soros was the campaign…
https://americanfaith.com/soros-spent-40-million-to-elect-75…

verified

Claim 6: “FWD.us... was created by Mark Zuckerberg and other Silicon Valley tech leaders in 2013”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia and other web results explicitly confirm that FWD.us was founded in 2013 by Mark Zuckerberg and other Silicon Valley leaders.

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web search NEUTRAL — FWD.us was founded by leaders in Silicon Valley in 2013, including Mark Zuckerberg, who wanted to advance immigration reform. The group aims to build a ...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FWD.us

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web search NEUTRAL — FWD.us works with policymakers, business leaders, and advocates of all backgrounds to drive real change in our criminal justice and immigration systems.
https://www.fwd.us/

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web search NEUTRAL — Founded by Mark Zuckerberg in 2013, FWD.us is a leading advocacy organization focused on promoting policies that will help keep America competitive.
https://pluspr.com/case-studies/fwd-us-immigration/

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Claim 7: “other killers who could be released early under both bills include John Lennon assassin Mark David Chapman and cop-killer David McClary”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 8: “The Elder Parole bill, sponsored by Sen. Cordell Cleare (D-Manhattan) of Harlem and Assemblywoman Maritza Davilla (D-Brooklyn), would let violent criminals... be granted early parole hearings after they’ve turned 55 and served 15 years of their sentences.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources describe the Elder Parole bill as allowing violent criminals to be granted parole hearings after age 55 and serving a minimum sentence (though the specific '15 years' is implied by the context of 'dodging minimum sentences' in the provided snippets).

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web search NEUTRAL — May 3, 2026 ... The Elder Parole bill would let violent criminals dodge their minimum sentences, regardless of how heinous their crimes, and be granted ...
https://nypost.com/2026/05/03/us-news/nys-worst-killers-incl…

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web search NEUTRAL — Oct 24, 2025 ... The Elder Parole bill would let violent criminals dodge their minimum sentences, regardless of how heinous their crimes, and be granted ...
https://www.instagram.com/p/DQNHHpaElFU/

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web search NEUTRAL — ... of woke parole bills, critics warn. The Elder Parole bill would let violent criminals dodge their minimum sentences, regardless of how heinous their crimes ...
https://www.aol.com/news/woke-bills-could-spring-ny-10000774…

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Claim 9: “Other founding members that received Soros money include Voices of Community Activists & Leaders (VOCAL) New York ($1.7 million), Legal Aid Society ($1.6 million), Center for Community Alternative ($250,000), Release Aging People in Prison ($180,000), Parole Preparation Project ($135,000), New York Civil Liberties Union ($100,000) and New York Communities for Change ($74,995).”

SINGLE SOURCE

The provided evidence discusses George Soros's general net worth and funding for Ferguson protests, but does not list the specific grants to VOCAL NY, Legal Aid Society, or the other listed organizations.

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web search NEUTRAL — George Soros donated $33 million to fund rioting Ferguson protest groups.$677 million for public health issues such as HIV and AIDS, TB, palliative care, harm reduction, and patients' rights; $205 mil…
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/riot-act/

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web search NEUTRAL — Billionaire George Soros has taken an eagle's eye approach to funding the Ferguson activities of Al Sharpton, the "Hands Up, Don't Shoot" campaign and protests linking Michael Brown's and Trayvon Mart…
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/jan/14/george-soro…

info

Claim 10: “Soros’s network... funneled megabucks into its founding organizations, including $3.2 million to FWD.us”

SINGLE SOURCE

The provided evidence for this claim consists of a list of Kamala Harris endorsers, a snippet about Mississippi power plants, and a general FEC quote. None of these sources mention a $3.2 million grant from Soros to FWD.us.

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web search NEUTRAL — This is a list of notable non-political figures and organizations that endorsed the Kamala Harris 2024 presidential campaign.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Kamala_Harris_2024_pre…

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web search NEUTRAL — Apr 18, 2026 ... Mississippi has an abundance of power. We have the most powerful nuclear power plant in the nation at Port Gibson along with other natural gas ...
https://www.facebook.com/tatereeves/posts/the-picture-is-bec…

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web search NEUTRAL — United States, 290 U.S. at 548, Congress could reasonably conclude that full disclosure during an election campaign tends 'to prevent the corrupt use of money ...
https://www.fec.gov/files/legal/murs/6772/15044380595.pdf

info

Claim 11: “Soros’ grant-making network gave at least $7.1 million since 2016 to eight of 15 organizations that are founding members of a purported “grassroots coalition” called “The People’s Campaign for Parole Justice,” Open Society Foundation records reveal.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The provided web search results for this claim are completely irrelevant (discussing Scott Bessent, Alexander Soros's general philanthropy, and Ted Turner), providing no information about 'The People’s Campaign for Parole Justice' or the specific $7.1 million figure.

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web search NEUTRAL — On November 22, 2024, President-elect Trump announced his nomination of Bessent for U.S. Treasury Secretary in the second Trump administration. Bessent was ...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Bessent

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web search NEUTRAL — Feb 9, 2026 ... Over his lifetime, my father has committed the vast majority of his net worth to promoting justice, equity, human rights, and democratic ...
https://www.facebook.com/Alexandersorospublic/posts/every-da…

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web search NEUTRAL — Known as a playboy, the media mogul gave his paramours and three ex-wives plenty of stories to tell. He also managed to stay friendly with many of them. By ...
https://www.nytimes.com/topic/person/ted-turner?page=8

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Claim 12: “Previous versions of both measures have stalled in state Legislature going back to the 2017-18 session.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was provided or found regarding the legislative history or stalling of these bills in the 2017-18 session.

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.