Boston City Hall sexual misconduct probe clears top Wu cabinet official of wrongdoing

A top Wu administration cabinet official was cleared of any wrongdoing after an external review into sexual misconduct assertions that were leveled against him by an ex-city employee who was fired after her arrest on domestic assault charges The law firm commissioned by the City of Boston to conduct the review Stoneman Chandler Miller LLP declared Wednesday that it had completed its scrutiny into the conduct of the city s Chief of Economic Opportunity and Inclusion Segun Idowu and located that he did not violate any city policies The inspection the law firm announced in a one-page memo issued to the city s human materials department was conducted with assistance by the city s investigations squad and based on the alleged misconduct of Idowu as described by Marwa Khudaynazar in a account by the Boston Globe The conclusion of that scrutiny is that there were no violations of city agenda by Mr Idowu Kate Clark a partner at the law firm wrote to Alex Lawrence the city s chief people officer Through her counsel Ms Khudaynazar declined to participate in the city s probe regarding the claims she made to the Boston Globe which she never broadcasted to the city Accordingly we conducted the inquiry by interviewing available onlookers and reviewing media reports and other relevant documents including text exchanges between Ms Khudaynazar and Mr Idowu The scrutiny did not reveal any facts that suggest Mr Idowu violated the city s procedures prohibiting sexual harassment either by creating a hostile work setting or engaging in quid pro quo harassment or any other workplace policies A City Hall spokesperson issued a declaration Wednesday thanking the law firm for their thorough examination of the matter Idowu issued his own announcement through his attorney Jeffrey Robbins who also represents the Herald saying that the results of the examination endorsed his repeated denials of the accusations but did not erase the pain they had caused After weeks of politically motivated defamatory accusations and assaults on my character and work an external scrutiny conducted by an outside law firm established what has been repeatedly stated I did not violate any rules policies or ethical and legal codes of conduct Idowu explained The law enforcement events that took place on the night of May quite merely did not involve me While this vindication does not erase the pain that defamatory society statements text messages and online commentary has caused me my family and my society I look forward to continuing my work to create greater economic equity across the city unabated and without distraction he added Khudaynazar the -year-old ex-chief of staff for the city s Office of Police Accountability and Transparency did not respond to a request for comment She was terminated after her involvement in a domestic case that led to her arrest Khudaynazar communicated the Boston Globe last month that she was fired to protect Idowu a top Wu aide she says propositioned her on the night of the May happening She further stated to the Globe that Idowu s sexual advances which she declined to comment on when reached by the Herald angered her boyfriend Chulan Huang the -year-old ex-neighborhood business manager for the city s Office of Economic Opportunity and Inclusion and sparked the dispute at Huang s Chinatown apartment that led to both of their arrests on domestic assault charges Khudaynazar was also charged with assault and battery on a police officer Mayor Michelle Wu stated that Khudaynazar and Huang who have both pleaded not guilty to the charges were terminated for their invoking of official status as city employees to try to avoid being arrested during a police response Khudaynazar disputed that claim as a misunderstanding in her interview with the Globe and disclosed Mayor Michelle Wu unfairly terminated her to protect Idowu and attempt to avoid an ballot year outrage Idowu s alleged involvement in the situation led Boston City Councilor Ed Flynn to call for his resignation or termination and Wu s principal mayoral opponent Josh Kraft to push for Wu to reveal Idowu s role in the City Hall controversy Prior to the accusations the police record indicated that the domestic dispute was sparked by cheating claims and had Huang who worked in Idowu s department quoted as stating of Khudaynazar She went on a date with my boss And then they booked a hotel room and she came here to rub it in my face The police analysis did not name Idowu but the Globe analysis includes statements by Khudaynazar that Idowu reported her he booked a hotel room and invited her to join him there an invitation Khudaynazar noted she rebuffed Related Articles Boston s White Stadium renovation sparks neighborhood clash I am funded by nobody Boston City Hall official on unpaid leave remains employed months after felony assault arrest Josh Kraft slams Boston Mayor Wu s Mass and Cass plan A clear failure Battenfeld Wu should detail inspiring relationship with extremist NYC candidate Boston s oldest housing enhancement breaks ground on massive redevelopment Flynn and City Councilor Erin Murphy who saw their push for an independent analysis blocked twice by the City Council in new weeks both issued statements to the Herald Wednesday casting doubt on the results of the review given that it was conducted with the assistance of City Hall staff Without an independent probe these troubling claims remain open and will continue to reflect poorly on city administrators Flynn commented Transparency professionalism and accountability must be part of city authorities Murphy explained it s clear that while initiatives were taken to review the matter the process fell short When City Hall investigates itself it undermines trust Murphy declared and leaves too multiple questions unanswered Boston gov photosMarwa Khudaynazar and Chulan Huang the two City Hall staffers arrested in an alleged domestic situation Boston gov photos