COIB SETTLEMENT WITH FORMER MAYOR BILL DE BLASIO

 

After three years of litigation, the New York City Conflicts of Interest Board (the “Board”) has reached a settlement with former Mayor Bill de Blasio to resolve his violations of the City’s conflicts of interest law in connection with his 2019 presidential campaign. As part of the settlement, de Blasio will pay the City a total of $329,794.20 in restitution and fines; de Blasio has already paid $100,000 of this sum to the Board.

 

• Violations: During his presidential campaign, de Blasio had the City pay the travel expenses for his NYPD security detail to accompany him or his spouse on 31 out-of-state campaign trips, despite having been previously advised by the Board in advance and in writing that the City could not pay for such expenses. The security detail incurred $319,794.20 in travel costs, excluding salary and overtime, during these trips.
• Procedural History: On April 14, 2022, the Board commenced an enforcement action against de Blasio. The Board’s charges were adjudicated at a hearing at the New York City Office of Trials and Hearings (“OATH”); OATH issued a Report and Recommendation on May 4, 2023, finding that de Blasio had committed the charged violations. On June 15, 2023, the Board ordered de Blasio to repay the City $319,794.20 and imposed a fine of $155,000 (adopting the reimbursement and fine amounts recommended in the OATH Report and Recommendation). The same day the Board issued its Order, de Blasio filed an Article 78 Petition in New York State Supreme Court challenging the Board Order. On January 13, 2025, that Article 78 Petition was dismissed, and on January 29, 2025, de Blasio appealed that decision.
• Settlement: In the attached Stipulation of Settlement, de Blasio agrees to withdraw his appeal of the dismissal of his Article 78 Petition. He also acknowledges that he violated the City’s conflicts of interest law, that he deeply regrets his conduct, and that he no longer challenges the Board’s factual findings and legal conclusions. In addition to the $100,000 he has already paid, de Blasio agrees to pay an additional $229,794.20 in quarterly installments over the next four years.

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. The Board acknowledges and is grateful to the New York City Department of Investigation for its extensive investigative work, which was critical to this successful resolution.