Weeks after a former city employee claimed that she was fired to shield a high-ranking City Hall official from misbehavior charges, an inquiry into the claims revealed no evidence that he had broken any rules.
The inquiry focused on the involvement of Segun Idowu, the city’s chief of economic opportunity, in an incident that resulted in the arrest of two other city employees who were involved in a romantic relationship. According to one of those workers, Idowu leased a hotel room and invited her to go with him, The Boston Globe reported. According to reports, she declined, but when her partner learned, a violent dispute erupted. The two workers were detained and subsequently dismissed as a result of the alleged physical altercation.
Following the Globeport, the city hired Stoneman, Chandler & Miller LLP to examine the claims. On Wednesday, the firm informed senior Wu administration officials in a brief memo that it had come to the conclusion that Idowu had not broken any city regulations.
The firm found that there was no evidence from the investigation that Mr. Idowu had engaged in quid pro quo harassment, created a hostile work environment, or violated any other labor standards, including the City’s policy against sexual harassment.
Marwa Khudaynazar, the former city employee who filed the accusations against Idowu, refused to take part in the inquiry. The memo also claims that she never informed the city itself of the accusations made against the Globe.
A city official said in a statement, “We would like to thank Stoneman, Chandler & Miller LLP for their thorough examination of the matter.”
In a statement provided to the Globe by his lawyer, Idowu said that the results were a vindication that followed weeks of politically motivated attacks on [his] character and work.
Khudaynazar was in a relationship with Chulan Huang, a city community liaison, while serving as the head of staff at the Office of Police Accountability and Transparency. A marital dispute between the two prompted cops to be called to a Chinatown apartment in May.
According to a police report, Huang told officers at the scene that Khudaynazar’s date with his employer was the reason for the conflict. According to authorities, they noticed bite marks on Khudaynazar’s wrists and on Huang’s arms and chest.
According to court documents, Khudaynazar was also charged with assault and violence on a police officer, and both were charged with assault and battery on a household member. Both entered not guilty pleas.
According to the report, Khudaynazar and Huang informed officers that they were employed at City Hall during the police reaction. According to the Wu administration, Khudaynazar and Huang attempted to utilize their status as city employees to evade arrest, which led to their termination and subsequent unpaid leave. In her interview with the Globe, Khudaynazar denied these allegations, claiming that city authorities misunderstood her and Huang’s remarks.
According to Khudaynazar, she met Idowu at a pub in the Back Bay, and he invited her to stay with him in a room at the Park Plaza Hotel. Khudaynazar told the Globe that after he kissed her on the lips, she drove him to the hotel but refused to accompany him. She said that later that evening, she infuriated Huang by displaying Idowu’s text messages, which sparked the physical altercation.
Wu’s main rival in the mayoral race, Josh Kraft, had earlier claimed that the saga was a management problem at City Hall while Wu was in charge and demanded greater transparency from the city.
Kraft’s spokeswoman declined to comment on the new findings on Thursday.
Wu’s frequent opponent, City Councilor Ed Flynn, demanded in May that Idowu be fired or resign. Despite the announcement of the Stoneman, Chandler & Miller LLP assessment by the Wu administration, he and Councilor Erin Murphy filed a resolution calling for a completely independent, third-party investigation into the matter. They claimed that this evaluation was insufficient because it would be largely supervised and dealt with by the Wu administration.
The proposal was twice rejected, though, and Council President Ruthzee Louijeune decided that as it dealt with particular employment actions pertaining to a person’s employment with the city, it was inappropriate for the Council to discuss. Murphy charged Louijeune of eroding public confidence in the council and selectively enforcing its rules.
Since 2022, Ross Cristantiello has been a general assignment news correspondent for Boston.com, covering a variety of topics including as local politics, crime, and the environment.
Sign up for the Today newsletter
Receive all the information you require to begin your day, given directly to your inbox each morning.
