Kathy Hochul, schemed to advance the interests of China while working in New York State government, federal prosecutors alleged in an indictment unsealed Tuesday.
The indictment charges Sun with failure to register as a foreign agent, visa fraud, alien smuggling and money laundering conspiracy.
Her husband, Christopher Hu, allegedly facilitated the transfer of millions of dollars in kickbacks for personal gain, prosecutors said.
Sun and Hu each pleaded not guilty during their arraignment in Brooklyn federal court Tuesday afternoon.
Sun appeared in a black pantsuit with a red blouse, while her husband appeared in slacks and a pale dress shirt.
Sun allegedly blocked Taiwan representatives from access to the governor, worked to prevent meetings with Taiwanese officials and sought to “shape the public statements” the governor made on China, prosecutors said.
Sun was released on a $1.5 million bond, and her husband was released on a $500,000 bond.
Sun worked in state government for about 15 years before she was fired last year from her job as deputy commissioner for strategic business development at the New York State Department of Labor.
A “furious” Gov Hochul called the allegations against Sun “brazen,” “shocking” and “a betrayal of trust” during an appearance on WNYC.
Hochul declined to reveal the nature of her actions, saying, “It will be coming out in court hearings.”
Linda Sun, a former aide to Gov. In an indictment that was unsealed on Tuesday, federal prosecutors claimed that Kathy Hochul plotted to further the interests of China while she was employed by the New York State government.
According to the indictment, Sun is accused of money laundering conspiracy, visa fraud, alien smuggling, and failing to register as a foreign agent.
For his own benefit, her spouse Christopher Hu is accused by the prosecution of helping to transfer millions of dollars in bribes.
At their arraignment in federal court in Brooklyn on Tuesday afternoon, Sun and Hu entered not guilty pleas. Her husband showed up in slacks and a light dress shirt, while Sun looked stunning in a black pantsuit and red blouse.
Prosecutors claimed that Sun worked for the Cuomo and Hochul administrations as an unregistered agent of China, and that her husband laundered the proceeds so they could purchase a $19 million condo in Hawaii and a $3.6 million house in Manhasset.
Prosecutors claimed that Sun attempted to “shape the public statements” the governor made about China, prevented meetings with Taiwanese officials, and barred Taiwan representatives from seeing the governor.
“This isn’t your typical financial scam,” Assistant U. s. said during the arraignment attorney Alexander Solomon.
The majority of the evidence, according to the prosecution, is in Chinese and includes a WeChat message in which Sun is cited as saying to a Chinese official, “I have done many things to make the relationship ..” Prosecutors claim that Sun and Hu ran over 80 different accounts. bloom. “.
Sun was freed with a $1.55 million bond, while her spouse was given a $500,000 bond. As per the conditions of her release, Sun is not allowed to communicate with the Chinese consulate in any way. September has been set aside for their upcoming court appearance. Number 25.
Tuesday night, Sun’s lawyers referred to the accusations as “inflammatory” in a statement to ABC News. ****.
According to a statement released by her attorneys, Ken Abell and Jarrod Schaeffer, “We are disappointed by the filing of these charges, which are inflammatory and appear to be the product of an overly aggressive prosecution.”. Aspects of the government’s investigation have also caused us concern. Our client is keen to assert her right to a prompt trial and to refute these allegations in the appropriate forum—a court of law, as we stated in court today. “.
Federal prosecutors from the Eastern District of New York and the FBI informed Sun and her husband that they had been arrested at their Long Island home on Tuesday morning. In July, the Manhasset residence was searched by the FBI.
According to Avi Small, Hochul’s press secretary, Sun was employed by the Executive Chamber for over ten years prior to his termination last year.
Small gave an ABC News statement that read, “We terminated her employment in March 2023 after discovering evidence of misconduct, immediately reported her actions to law enforcement, and have assisted law enforcement throughout this process.”.
According to Cuomo’s representative, Sun had “little to no interaction with the governor” while he was governor, ABC News reported. “. .
In a statement, Cuomo’s representative Rich Azzopardi stated that “national security is critical and must be free from foreign influence.”. Even though Ms. Sun was elevated to the position of Deputy Chief of Staff in the administration that followed, she was one of many community liaisons who had little to no contact with the governor during our tenure together, working for a few different agencies. “.”.
Before being let go from her position as the New York State Department of Labor’s deputy commissioner for strategic business development last year, Sun had about 15 years of experience working for the state. She previously worked for the former governor’s administration and as Hochul’s deputy chief of staff. Cuomo Andrew.
In the indictment, it is claimed that Sun, acting on behalf of Chinese government officials and Chinese Communist Party representatives, prevented Taiwanese government officials from meeting with senior New York State officers, altered the state officers’ statements regarding China, and set up meetings between visiting PRC government delegations and New York State government officials.
According to allegations, the defendant and her spouse acted to further the objectives of the Chinese government and the CCP despite appearing to serve the people of New York as the Deputy Chief of Staff in the New York State Executive Chamber, according to a statement released by United States Attorney Breon Peace. The defendant’s family benefited financially from the illegal scheme to the tune of millions. “.”.
In an appearance on WNYC, a “furious” Governor Hochul referred to the accusations against Sun as “brazen,” “shocking,” and “a betrayal of trust.”.
It was astonishing to see how much she was capable of. This behavior has infuriated and outraged me, and we will allow the process to unfold,” Hochul declared.
Hochul stated, “It will be coming out in court hearings,” but she declined to elaborate on the specifics of her behavior. She stated that the Justice Department was notified of the misbehavior by her administration.
For many more years, she was mostly employed by Andrew Cuomo. She only spent roughly 15 months with me,” Hochul remarked.
