(The Center Square) — Former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio will pay a nearly $330,000 fine to settle an ethics complaint alleging that he misspent public campaign funds during his failed run for president.
The New York Conflict of Interests Board announced a settlement on Wednesday requiring the former mayor to pay back $329,794.20 for out-of-state travel costs for New York Police Department officers who accompanied him during campaign trips in 2019. De Blasio previously paid $100,000 as a “down payment” for the settlement, the board said. He will be fined $10,000 for the violations.
“I acknowledge that I made a mistake, and I deeply regret it,” the Democrat posted on social media. “Now it’s time to move forward.”
An investigation conducted by the board in 2023 concluded that de Blasio had NYPD details accompany him on 31 out-of-state presidential campaign trips, some of which included his family members.
In its ruling, Board Chairman Milton L. Williams Jr., said while the city is obligated to pay for an NYPD security detail for the city’s mayor, “there is no city purpose in paying for the extra expenses incurred by that NYPD security detail to travel at a distance from the city to accompany the mayor or his family on trips for his campaign.”
The former mayor filed a lawsuit to block the fines, arguing the board’s ruling breaks with decades of NYPD policy and precedent. At the time, he called the board’s decision a “reckless and arbitrary ruling” that “threatens the safety and security of our democratically-elected public servants.”
Wednesday’s agreement with the board to pay back the money settles three years of litigation.
“This settlement brings to a successful conclusion the first ever enforcement action brought by the Board against a Mayor of the City of New York,” COIB said in a statement.
De Blasio announced his presidential bid in May 2019, joining a crowded Democratic field seeking to challenge incumbent President Donald Trump. However, the then-New York City mayor dropped out of the race after only a few months, throwing his support behind Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign.
De Blasio has faced similar allegations of misusing NYPD details. Shortly before leaving office in 2021, a report by the DOI determined that he had used taxpayer-funded police details as a “concierge service” to provide transportation for his family members.
