Boston's woke Democrat mayor faces embarrassing sex scandal among her staffers as top aide quits
A top aide in Boston Mayor Michelle Wu's administration has resigned months after a lawsuit was filed against the city alleging he participated in sexual misconduct that was covered up.
Segun Idowu, 37, has announced that his tenure as Wu's Chief of Economic Opportunity and Inclusion will conclude on February 27.
He said in a statement to local news that he was stepping down to care for his grandmother.
Idowu's time in the administration was plagued by scandal after former city official Marwa Khudaynazar filed a lawsuit alleging that Wu's administration fired her and another employee to protect him during an election year.
Khudaynazar was previously the Chief of Staff for the Office of Police Accountability and Transparency.
She accused Wu and city officials of 'destroying' her life after she reported Idowu's alleged sexual misconduct.
Khudaynazar was in a romantic relationship with another staffer at the time, Chulan Huang, who previously served as a liaison for Chinatown and the Leather District.
The controversy unfolded last May, when Khudaynazar and her friend ran into Idowu at a bar, according to a civil complaint filed in Massachusetts Superior Court.
Segun Idowu, pictured above speaking in front of Mayor Michelle Wu (far right), announced his resignation from his position as Chief of Economic Opportunity and Inclusion
Idowu, pictured above speaking at a tourism event with Wu on April 4, 2022, was previously accused of sexual misconduct which he denied
Marwa Khudaynazar, 27, alleged that Idowu had kissed her and invited her to his hotel room after she ran into him at a bar last May
Idowu allegedly made sexual advances toward Khudaynazar, touching her lower back and showing her his reservation at the Boston Park Plaza Hotel, per the lawsuit.
He then allegedly invited her to his room and kissed her. Khudaynazar's attorneys wrote that she agreed to drive him to the hotel but didn't go inside.
Later in the night, Khudaynazar allegedly went to Huang's home to inform her boyfriend that Idowu, a high-ranking official in the Wu administration, had made advances toward her.
Huang became agitated and Khudaynazar called the police. When officers arrived, she said Huang was 'upset because she "went on a date" with his boss and was holding on to her wrists and wouldn't let go', according to the complaint.
She allegedly explained that she didn't want to press charges, adding that they were all city officials, so she didn't want to escalate the situation.
However, the officers arrested Huang. Khudaynazar was also accused of allegedly assaulting responding Officer Chris Santana.
Her attorneys argued that she didn't assault Santana and alleged that Payne arrested her without witnessing the assault. Payne is named as a defendant in the lawsuit.
They also claim that body camera footage supports Khudaynazar's story. Huang and Khudaynazar have pleaded not guilty to the charges against them.
A police report noted that Khudaynazar told officers, 'We both work for the city of Boston, we both work for the Mayor’s Office.'
Khudaynazar's termination letter cited that statement as, 'an improper attempt to invoke your position for favorable treatment.'
Khudaynazar allegedly informed her boyfriend, Chulan Huang, pictured above (second from the left), of the incident. Huang reportedly grew agitated and police were called to their home. He is pictured above with Mayor Wu (second from the right)
Huang, pictured above in 2023, was previously employed as a liaison to the mayor for Chinatown and the Leather District
Wu's administration claimed that the two attempted to use their positions in the mayor's office to evade arrest.
At the time, Mayor Wu said in a statement: 'It is never OK to harm a police officer or to harm another member of our community.'
Khudaynazar confessed that she had informed the police of her position within the mayor's administration, but argued that the officers took her remarks out of context.
Her attorneys wrote in a civil complaint that she didn't intend to use her status as a City employee to avoid arrest and was simply conveying that she understood police procedures.
The complaint added that the couple were in their 20s and had no power to wield.
Her attorneys stated that it was 'clear' from Huang's apartment that they weren't higher-ups in the administration.
She told the Boston Globe in an interview last October that she wasn't allowed to view police body camera footage to clear her name.
'Everyone treated me like I was guilty before I ever got a chance to prove that I wasn’t,' she told the Globe.
Khudaynazar, pictured above, filed a lawsuit against Mayor Wu and the city, alleging that she was fired to protect Idwou after she accused him of sexual misconduct
Idowu, pictured above (far right), was investigated by the mayor's office and cleared of the sexual misconduct claims against him
Khudaynazar alleged in a civil complaint that Idowu made inappropriate sexual advances toward her
She called her termination 'public service career assassination' and said she believed she was 'punished for telling the truth.'
The controversy unfolded during Mayor Wu's re-election year. Josh Kraft had put in a bid to challenge her but dropped out in September, and she ran unopposed.
Khudaynazar's attorneys argued in the complaint that Idowu was, 'important to Wu in securing many Black business owners' votes in the upcoming Boston mayoral election'.
Idowu's attorney previously told the Boston Globe in a statement that an investigation found 'no finding of any improper, unethical or inappropriate conduct on his part was made, because he engaged in none.'
Attorneys for Wu, Officer Payne, and the City of Boston filed a response to the lawsuit on January 9, alleging that Khudaynazar was allowed a hearing prior to her termination and she contradicted herself in the complaint.
The defense argued that Khudaynazar was clearly terminated for invoking her position for favorable treatment.
Mayor Wu praised Idowu's service in a statement to the Globe, writing: 'His work has helped Boston rebound from the pandemic as a thriving city where companies and their employees want to work and live.'
Khudaynazar's lawsuit alleged that she was fired to protect Mayor Wu, pictured above, from scandal during an election year. The mayor's office said she and Huang were terminated after they were criminally charged and allegedly attempted to use their positions to avoid arrest
'I’m thankful for his service to the city of Boston and dedication to our community.'
The Daily Mail has reached out to Idowu, Mayor Wu's office, Khudaynazar's representation, and the city's attorneys for comment.
