A judge has dropped the domestic violence charge against a former Boston City Hall staffer who was tied to a scandal with an outgoing top aide to the mayor.
Chulan Huang was fired from his position as neighborhood business manager for Boston’s Office of Economic Opportunity and Inclusion last May after what police had described as a domestic disturbance with his then-girlfriend Marwa Khudaynazar, then-chief of staff in the Office of Police Accountability and Transparency.
Their incident was reportedly sparked by Khudaynazar accusing Huang’s boss, outgoing Chief of Economic Development and Inclusion Segun Idowu, of inappropriately propositioning her. A pair of investigations, one internal, one external, cleared Idowu of wrongdoing in the ordeal.
Both Huang and Khudaynazar were arrested and charged with assault and battery on a household member. Khudaynazar received an additional charge of assault and battery on a police officer for allegedly striking an officer’s chest. So far, only Huang’s case has been dropped.
In an exclusive statement to GBH News Tuesday, Huang said he is innocent, and he considers his time at City Hall “an honor” to serve the communities he cared for deeply.
“Losing my role was devastating, not due to any lack of integrity on my part, but because I was made to absorb the consequences of someone else’s misconduct,” he said. “This situation stems from a clear abuse of power from an individual who not only held a leadership role within my office, but a leadership role within the entire city of Boston itself,” he said, alluding to his former boss Idowu.
“I remain grateful for the opportunity to have served the City of Boston, but I will not ignore the injustices that resulted from how this situation was handled,” he said adding that he is now exploring legal options. “This is not the end of my work, nor will it be the last time my voice will be heard.”
There was never any doubt that the case would be dismissed as it has been because I did not do anything wrong. The outcome simply reaffirmed the truth.
As a kid that grew up in Boston, it was truly an honor to have had the opportunity to serve at City Hall and to have the opportunity to serve the communities that I care deeply about. Losing my role was devastating, not due to any lack of integrity on my part, but because I was made to absorb the consequences of someone else's misconduct.
This situation stemmed from a clear abuse of power by an individual who not only held an a leadership role within my office, but a leadership role within the entire city of Boston itself; someone who was entrusted with public responsibility, chose to disregard basic professional and moral ethics to pursue my girlfriend, crossing lines that should never be crossed.
I learned firsthand that not everyone operates by the same world standards that I live by, but that does not mean that I lower myself to theirs. As Michelle Obama always says, when others go low, I go high.
I remain grateful for the opportunity to have served the city of Boston, but I will not ignore the injustices that resulted from how this situation was handled. I am actively evaluating legal options, and this is not the end of my work, nor will it be the last time that my voice will be heard.Statement from Chulan Huang
Last week, Judge James W. Coffey ordered the case dismissed “for want of prosecution without prejudice” after Khudaynazar, the reported victim in the case, failed to show up to testify.
The Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office confirmed the dismissmal but did not offer further comment.
Huang’s attorney, Albert Moscone, applauded the legal process.
“The system worked here and my client was vindicated,” Moscone told GBH News, adding that the case was subject to prosecutorial scrutiny after an investigation.
“This matter was in court for eight months,” he continued. “Ultimately, it was dismissed because my client did not commit a crime.”
The case dismissal comes just weeks after Idowu announced his end-of-the-month departure from Mayor Michelle Wu’s cabinet citing a desire to spend time with family as the reason for his resignation.
Meanwhile, Khudaynazar’s criminal case is set for trial late next month.
In a separate, federal court lawsuit, Khudaynazar had publicly accused the mayor of wrongly firing her in an attempt to both downplay “Mr. Idowu’s intraoffice philandering” and quell bad press attention during the 2025 mayoral election. A judge granted the city’s motion to dismiss most of that lawsuit without prejudice on Feb. 3, but allowed Khudaynazar’s claim of retaliation to proceed.
Neither of Khudaynazar, her attorneys, nor Chief Idowu responded to GBH News’ request for comment Tuesday.
