Exclusive | NYC Councilwoman failed to disclose free rent on luxe Queens pad, records show: Raises conflict of interest concerns

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...