An NYC councilwoman running for Congress could be skirting city conflict-of-interest laws by failing to disclose that a political consultant provided her a free, long-term apartment at a swanky Queens condo complex, government watchdogs told The Post.
Councilwoman Julie Won (D-Queens), her political strategist husband Eugene Noh and their two children moved into the one-bedroom condo at Skyline Towers on Long Island City’s waterfront in November 2024, according to a copy of their lease agreement shared by the unit’s owner, Justin Chae.
The Democratic consultant said he agreed to waive the $5,000-a-month rent on the luxe apartment over the one-year-lease as a bonus to Noh, who agreed to work as vice president of campaigns at Chae’s company, Legion Outreach Consultants.
However, Won failed to list the perk on her 2024 annual disclosure forms filed with the city’s Conflicts of Interest Board.
The form asks candidates if they received “any gift or gifts valued at $1,000″ or more, a review of the filings showed.
If Won and her husband had to pay rent, her share for the last two months of 2024 would have been $5,000.
The COIB has yet to publicly release its 2025 filings, so it’s unclear if Won neglected to report the free lodging for that year as well.
Although Chae doesn’t do business with the city, critics say Won should’ve disclosed the freebie anyway – even if it came through a previous arrangement Chae had with her husband.
“Receiving free housing from someone with political interests that could interact with your official duties is the kind of arrangement [that] raises conflict of interest concerns,” said Ben Weinberg, director of public policy at Citizens Union.
“Elected officials in that situation should get formal guidance from COIB and disclose it as a gift.”
Rachael Fauss, senior policy advisor at Reinvent Albany, also said she believes Won should have disclosed the perk.
“It could potentially be seen as a gift, so it belongs on the forms somewhere,” she said.
Carolyn Miller, COIB’s executive director, said she can’t “provide a definitive answer” on whether Won broke any rules without speaking to the councilwoman and getting “all the relevant facts.”
“Receiving something of value could be considered a gift under the annual disclosure law, and it also could be compensation in connection with one’s employment,” she said. “Also, for a married couple, there is often a question about who received the thing of value for reporting purposes, the filer or their spouse.”
Won and her family vacated the condo June 1, three days after being slapped with eviction papers by Chae, a top NYC political consultant and former family friend, The Post previously reported.
Chae dropped the eviction case June 8 because the couple left his $1 million condo, court filings show. But he told The Post he plans to sue them to recoup $25,000 in rent he alleges they owe for the first five months of this year. Noh’s employment with Chae’s company was terminated in June of last year, Chae said.
Won, who is running in a crowded field in the June 23 Democratic primary to replace retiring Rep. Nydia Velázquez in New York’s 7th Congressional District (covering parts of Queens and Brooklyn), has insisted she and her husband never signed any lease on the luxury pad, claiming Chae forged her name on a bogus lease agreement.
The couple has refused to address allegations that they never paid rent and declined to say if they claimed the free rent on their tax filings.
Fair-market value of employer-provided housing is generally considered a taxable fringe benefit that must be reported as income, and those receiving the perk typically are required to pay both federal and state taxes on it.
Won has threatened to sue Chae over going public with their landlord-tenant dispute, saying it’s a “clearly political smear job.”
She did not respond to requests for comment.
