A retail company in which a wealthy Democratic congressional candidate and his husband have both invested agreed this week to settle allegations that it singled out minority shoppers for additional security surveillance.
Macy’s will pay a $650,000 fine and hire an "independent monitor" to resolve the allegations, the New York Times reported on Thursday.
The alleged profiling, which targeted black and Hispanic shoppers for additional security scrutiny, took place at the flagship Macy’s store in New York City. A hundred miles to the north, Macy’s investor Sean Eldridge is vying for a congressional seat.
The Democrat owns a stake in Macy’s worth between $15,000 and $50,000. His husband, New Republic editor and Facebook "poke" button pioneer Chris Hughes, owns another $115,000 to $300,000 in Macy’s stock.
Critics have accused Eldridge of using his (Hughes’) fortune to attempt to "buy" good will in New York’s 19th congressional district, where he’s lived for fewer than two years, by investing in local businesses there.