By: Sarah Sarway
The Democratic frontrunner in Manhattan’s 2021 borough presidential race could face steep fines —and even jail time— for failing to disclose all of his income to the city.
According to a report published by the New York Post, New York City councilman Mark Levine has been collecting income from rent on a two-bedroom Washington Heights condominium he co-owns with his wife, valued between $250,000 and $500,000. Although the pair have reported their ownership of the condo as required, the Post revealed that they have failed to mention one tiny detail to the tune of tens of thousands of dollars to the Conflicts of Interest Board: all that money they’ve been making on rent.
Neglecting to report annual income over $1,000 is a serious offense that can carry up to $10,000 in fines and up to a year in jail is sentenced in cases “when incorrect information is intentionally reported,” COIB Assistant Counsel Chad Gholizadeh told the Post.
A spokesperson for the Councilman said that the documents are being amended and that “the issue was resolved.” Once the change is made, he estimated that Levine’s reported income would change somewhere in the broad range of $5,000 and $48,000.
As it turns out, though, this isn’t the first time that Levine’s Washington Heights condo got him into some hot water. Back in 2013, Levine and his wife left their condo one about a mile away so that he could run for City Council in that district. This would mean that their original condo in Washington Heights was no longer their primary place of residence. By this logic, Levine and his wife are no longer eligible for tax breaks on that property, which is only pertinent to those who use it as their primary residence.
Yet Levine saved over $11,000 on property tax breaks through this abatement that he and his wife were no longer eligible for. When the issue was first reported in 2017, Levine’s team blamed the building’s management company for failing to alert the Department of Finance of his change of residency; it is usually their responsibility to do so. Almost two years have gone by since this discrepancy has come to light and the change has not been made; Levine has saved another $4,280.
The Department of Finance told the Post that they are looking into the matter with the building manager, who has yet to update Levine’s residency information. Levine’s spokesperson, however, said that the Councilman has made repeated attempts to fix the issue with the DOF, and will “gladly pay any adjustments to past tax filings.”
