New York, New York - New York City mayoral candidate Andrew Cuomo was recently hit with a hefty financial penalty over allegations he illegally coordinated with a super PAC.

According to The New York Times, the New York City Campaign Finance Board ruled that Cuomo likely engaged in illicit coordination with the super PAC Fix the City.

The decision came in response to a complaint filed by challenger and state Senator Zellnor Myrie, who accused Cuomo and his campaign of "redboxing," which is a tactic campaigns use to circumvent anti-coordination rules by publishing "strategic messaging or data intended to signal outside spenders."

The complaint pointed to a page on the campaign's website that contained text "consistent with redboxing practices," and two ads shared by Fix the City days after the site's publication that "closely mirror the language and themes" of the text in question.

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The board ruled that Cuomo was still entitled to $1.5 million in public matching funds, but decided to withhold $622,056, which is the amount the PAC paid for one of the ads, as they argued there was "reason to believe" the commercial was "not independent of the Cuomo campaign."

In a statement, Myrie said the decision "confirmed what we've known all along: Andrew Cuomo is for sale."

"He's spent decades bending laws, shutting down ethics investigations, and exploiting every loophole to serve himself – and now he's doing it again," Myrie added.

Cuomo was elected NYC mayor in 2011, but resigned in 2021 after he was accused of sexual harassment multiple times, all of which he has denied. He has also faced numerous accusations of corruption.

A campaign spokesperson insisted they have "operated in full compliance with the campaign finance," and that the web page at the center of the allegations was "reviewed and approved by our legal team in advance of publication."

"We look forward to making that clear when we respond to the Board's preliminary ruling and receiving the full matching funds to which the campaign is entitled," the spokesperson added.