A senior Amazon employee managing federal accounts and a Northwestern University professor rank among the top donors to the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL), a radical Marxist group now under scrutiny for its ties to Washington, D.C., terrorist Elias Rodriguez.
Rodriguez, who murdered two Israeli embassy staffers in May 2025, had a “brief association” with the PSL, according to the group’s own statement. The PSL has openly supported Hamas and called for the end of Israel, raising concerns about its influence on domestic extremism.
Federal records show that during the 2024 presidential election, the PSL raised approximately $387,000 for its candidate, Claudia De La Cruz. While most contributions came from small donors, several high-dollar donors stood out.
One such donor is Marcone Cangussu, a senior account manager at Amazon based in Atlanta. Cangussu donated the maximum $3,300 to De La Cruz’s campaign in September 2024. His LinkedIn profile states he manages a $44 million federal account covering USAID, the U.S. Trade and Development Agency, and the State Department, working directly with federal executives. Cangussu has remained active in the Atlanta PSL chapter according to local media reports.
Another major donor is Alithia Zamantakis, a research assistant professor at Northwestern University’s Institute for Sexual and Gender Minority Health and Wellbeing. She contributed $3,000 to the PSL in May 2024. Zamantakis is a co-chair in the Society for the Study of Social Problems and a former chair of Sociologists for Trans Justice. She openly affiliates with the PSL on social media, displaying a Palestinian flag in her bio and frequently posting pro-Hamas content.
Zamantakis was also among the Northwestern faculty members charged with obstructing police during a campus encampment in spring 2024. She described the experience as “a pretty mind-blowing experience.”
The PSL has made statements supporting Hamas and accusing Israel of genocide. In one post, the PSL wrote: “With the full backing of the US government, Israel has launched a new and even deadlier phase in their genocide against Gaza … But the global movement for Palestine will never stop fighting to end the massacre!” Zamantakis retweeted this message just hours before the deadly embassy shooting.
