Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Pro-Amazon Protesters Were Reportedly Paid To Demonstrate Against Company's Withdrawal
By
Jake Offenhartz
Published Feb 22, 2019
Modified Feb 22, 2019
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Google Maps
By
Jake Offenhartz
Published Feb 22, 2019
Modified Feb 22, 2019
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Some of the pro-Amazon protesters who rallied against the company's decision to cancel its move to Long Island City last week were secretly paid to be there, possibly by a landlord miffed over his inability to raise rents, according to a report published Friday by Patch.
Two participants in the rally told the outlet that they'd responded to a Craigslist ad promising to pay $30/hour if they held signs decrying Amazon's departure outside the company's retail location on 34th Street. The rally was organized by Sammy Musovic, a landlord who owns several Queens buildings, as well as Manhattan restaurants Sojourn, Vero and Selena Rosa Mexicana.
(Musovic is also something of a media hound: His bid to buy Carnegie Deli for $5 million was widely covered, as was his claim that he was selling the country's most expensive margarita for charity; he was recently quoted in CNBC about his decision not to move to Florida, and has appeared on Fox News alongside his son to praise President Trump's impact on small businesses.)
At the protest, Musovic said that he'd spent $1 million renovating his Long Island City buildings in anticipation of the company's arrival. He previously told Bloomberg that he'd added new kitchens, flooring and other amenities to the apartments, with the expectation that he'd be able to hike rents by at least 25 percent. Several developers also said they'd bet big on the neighborhood, and many were devastated by Amazon's announcement last Thursday.
Musovic denied any involvement in the astroturfing campaign. A video obtained by Patch shows an unidentified man handing out cash to multiple protesters. Asked about that video, Musovic reportedly repeated his denial then hung up. (Gothamist's calls to the landlord were not returned.)
A PR representative associated with the rally, whose number was listed on the Craigslist post, also said he had no knowledge of protesters being paid. But text messages obtained by Patch show the same phone number responding to someone who'd inquired about the Craigslist ad, urging him to come to the rally.
Maritza Silva-Farrell, executive director of the labor and community group ALIGN, which helped lead the anti-Amazon movement, said she was unsurprised by reports of the mercenary protesters. "It shows that all of this talk of support for Amazon was largely a made-up story," she told Gothamist. "We were the ones who spoke up [against Amazon]."
Meanwhile, Governor Andrew Cuomo said earlier today that Amazon's backing out of the deal was the "greatest tragedy that I have seen since I have been in government." His office later backpedaled, claiming he was referring to government failures, not human tragedies. Asked where the ongoing crises at NYCHA and the MTA, as well as the abuses in the state prison system and rampant corruption in Albany would rank on Cuomo's list of government failures, a spokesperson further clarified that the governor actually meant to say Amazon's departure was the greatest economic development opportunity ever lost.
Tagged
amazon
astroturfing
governor cuomo
jeff bezos
protests
sammy Musovic
Jake Offenhartz
Jake Offenhartz is a former Gothamist reporter.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Deer are all over New Jersey roads looking for sex, state officials warn
Mid-October through mid-December is deer mating season, which can be a danger to drivers as the sex-seeking creatures cross roadways throughout the Garden State.
By
Rosemary Misdary
Published Oct 16, 2026 at 4:22 p.m. ET
Man messaged 'I got straight poison' before giving NYC college students fentanyl, feds say
A transcript from an April court hearing sheds new light on what transpired at Fashion Institute of Technology.
By
Samantha Max
News
Man messaged 'I got straight poison' before giving NYC college students fentanyl, feds say
A transcript from an April court hearing sheds new light on what transpired at Fashion Institute of Technology.
By
Samantha Max
Inside the plan to fix the nearly collapsed Pfizer Building, 1/64th of an inch at a time
By
David Brand
School bus carrying autistic students got lost in Brooklyn for 4 hours last year
By
Jessica Gould
NYC’s bridges can last 'forever,' if we take care of them
By
Clayton Guse
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .