De Blasiowes $300K inn debt
No payment on legal bill
The city is ruthless when it comes to hounding people who don’t pay their bills, but Mayor de Blasio still hasn’t settled a $300,000 debt to his lawyers that’s nearly a year old.
New financial-disclosure forms show the mayor had taken no steps to pay criminal-defense lawyers at Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel as of Dec. 31, 2017.
Yearlong probes by federal and state officials of the mayor’s fundraising and of allegations of favorable treatment toward donors were closed in March 2017 without any charges filed.
But forms filed with the city’s Conflicts of Interest Board and posted online Monday show de Blasio hasn’t made a dent in his legal tab since last year.
In a June 30, 2017, posting on Medium, the mayor put the bill at roughly $300,000, which he’s obligated to pay personally because it was for political work unrelated to his government job.
“Legal bills related to some non-governmental work reviewed during the investigation will be paid for with private dollars donated to a legal defense fund,” the mayor wrote.
De Blasio told NY1 Monday night that he needs the City Council to pass legislation setting rules for how he could set up that legal defense — and that he has already spoken to Council Speaker Corey Johnson and other members about it.
“Yeah, they’re looking at it,” Hizzoner said. “I don’t know the exact state of play, but they’re certainly looking at the issue.”
The mayor had initially offered to pay his entire legal bill, including for the government-related work, but quickly changed his mind after strict limits were set on how much he could raise from each donor. Those with business before the city would be limited to donations of $400, according to a COIB opinion.
Only after the opinion was published did Hizzoner move $2.6 million in bills owed to Kramer Levin onto the taxpayers’ tab — which totaled $14.5 million for the defense of all mayoral staffers.
Kramer Levin is also one of the city’s top lobbyists.
While the mayor’s salary has climbed to $258,750, and he and his wife rent out two Brooklyn houses while they live for free in Gracie Mansion, he has cited col- lege payments as a hardship when discussing his family’s finances.
Among other disclosures, City Council member Rev. Ruben Diaz Sr. reported getting generous birthday gifts of between $1,000 and $4,999 each from three religious groups last year — before he was elected to the council.
Diaz (D-Bronx) is affiliated with two of the groups, serving as president of the New York Hispanic Clergy Organization and as pastor at the Christian Community Neighborhood Church. He didn’t respond to a request for comment.