Ex-NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio ordered to pay $475K for misusing public funds on failed White House bid
Former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has been ordered to pay nearly half a million dollars after he was found to have misused public funds on a police security detail during his failed presidential bid. The hefty fine is the largest ever handed out by New York’s Conflicts of Interest Board. It caps off a two-year investigation into the mayor's use of taxpayer dollars to cover the travel costs of NYPD officers who accompanied him during cross-country campaign stops. De Blasio has defended the use of city funds as necessary to protect his safety. He will appeal the decision.