"Prosecutors say Sun used her job as an aide to Hochul and former Gov. Andrew Cuomo to do the bidding of Chinese officials. Sun at one point surreptitiously added a Chinese official to a private conference call about New York's response to the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, according to prosecutors. She also blocked state officials from meeting with Taiwanese representatives and adjusted messaging by the governor's office to align with China's foreign policy, prosecutors said."
"Prosecutors say Sun and Hu in return received lavish kickbacks, allegedly evidenced by their $3.6 million mansion in Manhasset, Long Island, $1.9 million Hawaii condo, 2024 Ferrari Roma, and deliveries of Nanjing salted ducks - prepared by a Chinese official's personal chef - to her parents' home. Hu is accused of helping launder the kickbacks through a web of family connections and businesses."
"Sun's defense attorney, Jarrod Schaeffer, wrote in a court filing seeking to dismiss the case that it is "fueled by ample imagination but unmoored from the essential elements of the offenses charged.""
Opening statements are scheduled Wednesday in the federal trial of Linda Sun and her husband, Chris Hu, in Brooklyn. Prosecutors allege Sun used her roles as an aide to Govs. Kathy Hochul and Andrew Cuomo to carry out directives from Chinese officials. Prosecutors allege she added a Chinese official to a private March 2020 COVID-19 conference call, blocked state meetings with Taiwanese representatives, and adjusted governor's office messaging to align with Chinese foreign policy. Prosecutors allege Sun and Hu received lavish kickbacks, including real estate, a luxury car, and delivered food prepared by a Chinese official's chef, and that Hu laundered payments through family businesses. Sun's defense seeks dismissal, calling the case imaginative and legally deficient.
Read at Gothamist
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