Key Takeaways
- • Ali Najmi, a civil rights attorney and Queens Democratic powerbroker who previously served as election counsel to state legislator Zohran Mamdani and was appointed by Mayor Eric Adams to head the city's judicial selection commission, has taken on billionaire Steve Cohen as a client in a high-stakes casino litigation matter.
- • Cohen's casino project, Queens Future LLC, is defending against a civil lawsuit brought by Queens residents challenging the state's licensing process for his $8 billion Hard Rock gaming complex called Metropolitan Park, which received approval to operate on city parkland adjacent to Citi Field.
- • The representation creates a notable optics challenge: Najmi publicly brands himself as "the people's champ" while now defending one of the world's wealthiest individuals whose hedge fund, SAC Capital Advisors, pleaded guilty to insider trading in 2013 and paid what was then the largest financial penalty ever assessed against a company for that offense.
- • Cohen has been a substantial political and financial stakeholder in New York City affairs, including being identified as one of the largest outside spenders supporting Mayor Eric Adams' political efforts.
Summary
Ali Najmi, a prominent civil rights attorney and Queens Democratic operative, has entered into a professional relationship with billionaire hedge fund manager and New York Mets owner Steve Cohen to defend Cohen's controversial casino project against legal challenges. The arrangement emerged as Cohen's company, Queens Future LLC, faces a civil lawsuit filed by Queens residents contesting whether the state's licensing process for the $8 billion Metropolitan Park casino development adequately provided public comment opportunities, or whether the process was structured to favor project proponents.
Najmi's career trajectory positions the representation as particularly noteworthy. The attorney previously served as election counsel to state legislator Zohran Mamdani and was subsequently appointed by Mayor Eric Adams to chair the city's commission responsible for selecting local judges—a high-profile governance role. Najmi has cultivated a public persona as "the people's champ," an identity that sits in tension with his new representation of one of the world's wealthiest individuals in a matter that has generated significant local opposition.
The engagement also occurs within a broader context of Cohen's influence on New York City affairs. Cohen has been identified as one of the largest outside political spenders supporting Mayor Eric Adams, signaling his broader financial and political footprint in city governance. His hedge fund, SAC Capital Advisors (now operating as Point72 Asset Management after regulatory restrictions), has a documented history with securities enforcement: the firm pleaded guilty to insider trading in 2013 and paid what was then the largest financial penalty ever levied against a company for that offense, though Cohen himself was not personally charged in that matter.
The Metropolitan Park casino project itself represents a substantial capital deployment: the Hard Rock gaming complex development carries an $8 billion valuation and required state licensing approval to proceed on municipal parkland near Citi Field. The pending litigation raises substantive questions about the administrative process used to authorize the project, centered on whether public input mechanisms met legal standards for fairness and accessibility.
Najmi's career trajectory positions the representation as particularly noteworthy. The attorney previously served as election counsel to state legislator Zohran Mamdani and was subsequently appointed by Mayor Eric Adams to chair the city's commission responsible for selecting local judges—a high-profile governance role. Najmi has cultivated a public persona as "the people's champ," an identity that sits in tension with his new representation of one of the world's wealthiest individuals in a matter that has generated significant local opposition.
The engagement also occurs within a broader context of Cohen's influence on New York City affairs. Cohen has been identified as one of the largest outside political spenders supporting Mayor Eric Adams, signaling his broader financial and political footprint in city governance. His hedge fund, SAC Capital Advisors (now operating as Point72 Asset Management after regulatory restrictions), has a documented history with securities enforcement: the firm pleaded guilty to insider trading in 2013 and paid what was then the largest financial penalty ever levied against a company for that offense, though Cohen himself was not personally charged in that matter.
The Metropolitan Park casino project itself represents a substantial capital deployment: the Hard Rock gaming complex development carries an $8 billion valuation and required state licensing approval to proceed on municipal parkland near Citi Field. The pending litigation raises substantive questions about the administrative process used to authorize the project, centered on whether public input mechanisms met legal standards for fairness and accessibility.
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