New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio lost an effort to keep secret the revelations from a city ethics panel that he allegedly solicited donations from the heads of large development firms in return for allowing them to build in the city.

In a September 2018 letter that has just come to light, the city’s Conflicts of Interest Board (COIB) informed the mayor that he had created an “appearance of coercion and improper access” for his administration when he hit up several wealthy developers for contributions for his now-defunct political nonprofit, Campaign for One New York.

His letter reportedly failed to provide a required disclaimer assuring potential donors that whether they donated or not, he would not help them or hinder them, according to The New York Times.