Councilman Failed To Disclose Income For Uptown Rental: Report

WASHINGTON HEIGHTS-INWOOD, NY — An Upper Manhattan lawmaker may have violated ethics rules by failing to disclose income earned from a Washington Heights rental building he owns with his wife, according to reports.

City Councilmember Mark Levine, who represents parts of the Upper West Side, Harlem and Washington Heights, has never reported income from rents on his Cabrini Boulevard condo since taking office in 2014, the New York Post reported. All members of the council are required to disclose outside income exceeding $1,000.

The city Conflicts of Interest Board is currently reviewing Levine's filings, according to the report. Intentionally misreporting income can be punished with a misdemeanor criminal charge or fines up to $10,000, the Post reported.

A spokesman for Levine told the Post that the failure to report the rental income was not intentional and that the documents are being amended. The filings will be updated to show that the Councilmember earned between $5,000 and $48,000 in yearly rental income from the unit.

Levine may have also been able to avoid paying $11,000 in taxes for the Cabrini Boulevard unit, according to the report. The councilmember and his wife were listed as the primary occupants of the unit, allowing them to take advantage of a tax abatement, but moved out in 2013 so Levine could run for office in his district, the Post reported. Levine's spokesman blamed the error on building management and told the Post that the councilmember "will gladly pay any adjustments to past tax filings."

Read the full New York Post article here.