A New York City marshal has ordered the seizure of office equipment belonging to the Dominican Republic's Junta Central Electoral (JCE) at its Manhattan voter registration site, with a public auction scheduled for October 1 unless the election board pays off a $982,261.88 judgment first. The notice, issued September 6 under file M 373516, targets computers, printers, televisions, furniture and even artwork inside the office at 1501 Broadway, Suite 410.
According to Dominican Today, New York City Marshal Martin A. Bienstock issued the seizure order, and the JCE can still avoid the auction by paying the full debt at least 72 hours before the scheduled sale. The office sits inside the same building complex as the Consulate General of the Dominican Republic in New York, according to the Consulate General of the Dominican Republic in New York, a detail that raises the stakes given the space's shared consular function.
A Baseball Series Turned Legal Battle
The dispute traces back to a $1 million agreement the JCE signed on October 30, 2023, with Latin Events, LLC, tied to the Águilas Cibaeñas and Tigres del Licey exhibition series at Citi Field in Queens that November. Per the same Dominican Today report, the contract was meant to fund a voter registration campaign targeting Dominicans living in New York and neighboring states. Court documents cited by Dominican Today show the deal itemized $600,000 for printing 15,000 game tickets, plus funding for 20,000 lunches and an advertising campaign.
The three-day “Titanes del Caribe” series drew 90,902 total fans to Citi Field, according to World Baseball Network, which also identifies Latin Events as operated by promoter Félix Cabrera and music executive Pedro Zamora, with former MLB hall-of-famer David Ortiz expected to attend. The election board says it wired $230,000 to Latin Events, an amount the JCE has maintained fully satisfied its original authorization, according to its own statement carried by Diario Libre. Latin Events, however, claims $770,000 remained outstanding, and the dispute moved to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.
How the Judgment Reached $982,261
That federal court, in case 1:25-cv-02830-PKC, ordered the JCE to pay Latin Events $838,337.50 on November 26, 2025, a judgment later entered by the New York County Clerk's Office on August 20, 2026, per the same Dominican Today account. Julio Cury, who represents Latin Events in the Dominican Republic, said the amount climbed to $982,261.88 because of accumulated interest, surcharges and expenses, and the report notes that daily interest continues to accrue on the debt. Cury also said the seizure followed unsuccessful efforts to obtain voluntary payment from the election board.
The JCE has publicly disputed the underlying charges. The board's Plenary announced in July that it would challenge both the U.S. judgment and its enforcement, arguing that service was invalid and that service on Dominican consulates abroad did not substitute for official service in the Dominican Republic, according to a statement posted by the Junta Central Electoral.
Dual-Country Enforcement Push
The fight has spread beyond New York courts. A Dominican civil court, the Third Chamber of the Civil and Commercial Court of First Instance of the National District in Santo Domingo, issued Auto No. 036-2026-SAUT-00294 on June 29, 2026, granting exequatur under Dominican Law 544-14 to give the U.S. judgment legal force inside the Dominican Republic, as reported by El Nuevo Diario. The JCE has appealed that recognition decision, per Dominican Today, and says it continues to pursue its legal options in the Dominican Republic.
Latin Events has also maintained a garnishment process targeting JCE funds deposited at Banco de Reservas, the country's state-owned bank. In July, the firm sought a court order directing Banreservas to freeze 108.7 million Dominican pesos, or roughly $1.8 million, held in JCE accounts, according to AlMomento.net. Dominican Today reports on proceedings to have the U.S. judgment recognized in the Dominican Republic as well.
What's at Stake for New York's Diaspora
The Manhattan office facing seizure is not incidental to Dominican politics abroad. New York has a large Dominican voting population. As the October 1 auction date approaches, the JCE has not publicly responded to the latest seizure notice, Dominican Today reports, leaving unresolved how the board plans to protect the equipment inside its Manhattan office.
