NEW YORK (AP) — Former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio must pay a $475,000 fine levied against him for misusing public funds during his failed White House bid, a judge ruled this week. De Blasio had sought to erase the fine, arguing he received murky guidance from a city ethics board about the use of security detail. On Monday, a civil court judge dismissed the legal challenge in an 80-page ruling, describing de Blasio’s arguments as “perplexing” and “meritless.” The ex-mayor’s position, the judge wrote, “essentially eliminates his own agency in the choices he made.” An attorney for de Blasio declined to comment.
