NYC fines former Mayor Bill de Blasio $475,000 for abusing NYPD during failed 2020 presidential bid
New York City officials fine former mayor Bill de Blasio nearly $475,000 for misusing his personal police detail during his failed 2020 presidential bid.
De Blasio was ordered to repay the amount by the city council’s ethics watchdog, which will be the largest fine ever levied by the agency.
The sentence, which de Blasio has appealed, stems from the ex-mayor’s decision to enlist his NYPD security detail for 31 out-of-state trips in 2019.
The events were part of his failed bid for the White House, which struggled to gain any traction before dropping out due to dismal polling and a failure to qualify for the DNC’s third round of debates.
Bill de Blasio (pictured) allegedly abused the NYPD for his security protection during his failed bid for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination
The fine came after years of an investigation into De Blasio’s campaign by the New York City Conflict of Interest Board.
Milton Williams, the chairman of the oversight body, said the $474,794 bill sent to the former mayor is “the largest fine in the council’s history.”
It was found that de Blasio violated a New York ethics law that prohibited officials from “using city resources for purposes other than the city.”
In his scathing review of De Blasio’s campaign practices, Williams wrote that the former mayor’s conduct “clearly violates” the state’s ethics laws.
City maintenance normally has a “purpose” by providing NYPD security records for the mayor. The panel found that “it has no city goal to pay the extra costs” of de Blasio’s campaign.
De Blasio is accused of using the NYPD extensively for 31 out-of-state campaign appearances
NYC’s 2020 mayoral campaign struggled to gain traction, and he dropped out of the race less than a year after failing to qualify for the third round of debates. De Blasio is pictured (far right) during the second round of debates in July 2019
De Blasio was reportedly warned by the board of trustees that he could break the laws before he started his campaign.
However, Williams claimed that De Blasio “disregarded the board’s advice.”
It concluded that securing the de Blasio campaign, which ran under the slogan “Working People First,” cost taxpayers $319,794 in travel, room and board.
This total was combined with an additional $155,000 for 31 ethics law violations he allegedly committed, one for each trip.
The ruling was criticized by the former mayor’s attorney, Andrew Celli, who called it “reckless” and “dangerous.”
“The action of the COIB – which seeks to burden elected officials with security costs that the city has properly borne for decades – is dangerous, beyond the scope of their powers and illegal,” he added.
Celli’s comments came as he announced that De Blasio was filing a lawsuit in the Manhattan Supreme Court to have the fine overturned.
“Every mayor is under threat and all mayors are entitled to protection – regardless of party or politics,” he continued.
“That’s why the NYPD is charged with determining what level of protection is needed for such officers, when and how.”
De Blasio’s extensive use of the NYPD, however, was defended by former Deputy Commissioner of Intelligence John Miller, who was involved in deploying officers for the mayor’s campaign.
He told NY daily news that De Blasio’s family faced about 160 threats between 2018 and 2020, including threats to hang him and sexually assault his wife.
The sheer number of threats against the mayor meant his use of the NYPD was justified, Miller said.
“He doesn’t stop being mayor when he’s on vacation or campaigning,” Miller said. “The security detail is actually part of the package.”