NYC Councilmember Hanks and partner Kevin Barry Love accused of stiffing campaign workers and threatening them to stay silent
By Rick LaRivière and Frankie Pressman with Richard Luthmann
Workers Warn: “Get Your Money Up Front”
Kamillah Hanks wants another term on the New York City Council. Her campaign promises jobs, fairness, and economic opportunity.
But insiders say she and her partner, Kevin Barry Love, are the biggest deadbeats around.
“It’s always the same story,” said one former campaign worker, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation. “They promise they’ll pay, but when the work is done, you’re left begging for scraps.”
Court filings show Hanks and Love’s shady dealings stretch back to the 2017 campaign. In sworn statements, campaign workers say they were promised thousands for petition work, social media content, and ground game operations. But the money never showed up.
One worker, Michael Cox, says he poured his heart into Hanks’ campaign only to be offered “ten cents on the dollar” by Love when the dust settled.
Cox had suffered a heart attack. Kevin Barry Love didn’t care.
“Kevin laughed at me,” Cox said, according to court filings. “He said, ‘Take it or leave it.’ I chose to leave.”
NYC Deadbeat Duo: Lawsuit Forces Damning Admissions
Richard Luthmann’s ongoing collections and injury lawsuit against Hanks, Love, and the Kamillah Hanks Campaign Committee have forced them to make shocking admissions.
In official papers filed in court, Hanks admits she and Love created a fake Facebook page to attack political rival Debi Rose.
She also admits she used Luthmann’s legal work to knock a Hanks challenger off the ballot, and then stiffed him on the $86,000 bill.
“They didn’t even pay the filing fees,” Luthmann told NYNewsPress.com. “It’s pure exploitation.”
Luthmann says Kevin Barry Love is a “straight up thug.” While his original collections case was pending, Kevin Love made threatening phone calls to Luthmann’s lawyers across state lines. Love warned the attorneys he would file grievances against their law licenses, drag them into civil lawsuits, and unleash the FBI and DOJ if they kept pushing to collect.
Backed by Hanks’ NYC Council clout, Love played the tough guy and scared them off.
But the lawyers outsmarted Love, recording the entire exchange.
Love’s intimidation didn’t stop there. Luthmann says Love, acting for Hanks, twisted the arms of federal probation officers and the government to infringe on his rights. The harassment cost Luthmann hundreds of thousands of dollars, and he’s out for a reckoning.
According to legal documents, Hanks also admits that she discussed underreporting payments to avoid campaign finance oversight by the city’s Campaign Finance Board. Love, meanwhile, admits to threatening Luthmann’s collections attorney with “the FBI, DOJ, and Mayor Eric Adams” to avoid paying what they owed.
“I’m using the New York State Courts to try to collect as long as I feel I’m being treated fairly, and this thug can get reined in. Otherwise, I will seek additional forums of redress,” Luthmann said. “Obviously, I do not condone violence or illegal activity. But if there is no justice in the New York Courts, I have half a mind to sell Kevin Barry Love’s debt to The Bloods for $1 and let nature take its course. If I’m not going to see the money, then maybe no one should see Kevin either. But I think the Feds will get there first – the real Feds. Not the Comey criminals in the NYC FBI Field Office.”
A council staffer speaking anonymously confirmed Luthmann’s sentiments: “They’re playing a dangerous game. They’ll promise anything to get you in, then ghost you when it’s payday.”
NYC Deadbeat Duo: A History of Threats and Lies
The damning admissions don’t end there. In his response to the lawsuit, Love admits to threatening Michael Cox directly, telling him to accept a fraction of his $14,000 invoice or face consequences.
“Kevin’s not just a deadbeat, he’s a bully,” said the campaign worker. “Everyone knows it.”
In the same filings, Love admits to using his connections to city officials to intimidate those trying to collect debts. “He brags about his connections like he’s untouchable,” the worker said. “But people are starting to talk.”
And it’s not just about money. Hanks and Love have also admitted to orchestrating smear campaigns against anyone who stands up to them.
One council staffer said, “They’ll do anything to keep the truth quiet. But it’s all coming out now.”
NYC Deadbeat Duo: Admissions of Drug Links, Illegal Activity, and Tax Dodging
The admissions in the lawsuit go even further.
Hanks and Love have been forced to admit to a laundry list of dirty dealings:
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They stiffed multiple campaign workers on payments for legitimate work and threatened them into silence.
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They admit to under-reporting campaign expenses and making false statements to the Campaign Finance Board to hide payments.
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They acknowledge using political connections to intimidate lawyers and keep the cash flowing to their pockets.
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They have admitted to business dealings with drug kingpin Ettore Mazzei, including transactions involving narcotics, as outlined in court filings.
- They admit that Henry Olisa, aka Bobby Digi, baby daddy to NYC Cultural Affairs Commissioner Laurie Cumbo, is a RAT or federal informant.
- They admit Kevin Barry Love was a RAT or federal informant in December.
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They admit to mischaracterizing family legal expenses as corporate write-offs and misleading federal agents about their true roles.
“It’s all there in black and white,” said the council staffer. “They tried to cover it up, but they had to come clean once they got dragged into court.”
The revelations about Ettore Mazzei have left many shocked.
“This isn’t just some city council campaign,” the staffer said. “This is dirty money. This is drug money. And Kamillah and Kevin were right in the middle of it.”
NYC Deadbeat Duo: Looking to the Future – or the Feds?
With Hanks gearing up for re-election, workers say they’re not buying her promises anymore.
“She says she wants to build community, but she built her campaign on the backs of people she never paid,” said the staffer. “Don’t Rank Hanks.”
Sources close to the campaign say Love could be looped into the federal investigation of Andrew Cuomo’s political allies.
“It’s all connected,” said one source. “Love might be in real trouble if the feds start pulling threads. If he had an informant agreement, it likely expired on January 20. Plus, Kamillah and Kevin are now ‘Team Cuomo,’ and I bet they wish they were still with Eric Adams. She turned her back on the second Black mayor in New York City history. When she claims she’s ‘Black,’ remind her she’s a betrayer.”
For workers, though, the message is simple: “If you’re working for Kamillah, get your money up front,” said the campaign worker. “Otherwise, you’ll end up empty-handed like the rest of us.”
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