A former top aide to New York Governor Kathy Hochul and her predecessor Andrew Cuomo is going on trial in Brooklyn, accused of using her position to betray the US for China. Linda Sun, a senior official at the Department of Financial Services, and her husband Chris Hu, who is charged with laundering money, are facing multiple charges including being an unregistered foreign agent, wire and visa fraud, bribery, and money laundering.
Prosecutors say Sun worked within New York's government to advance the interests of China and the Chinese Communist Party. They claim she accepted bribes in exchange for secretly acting on behalf of the Chinese government, and even forged Hochul's signature on a visa application. Sun also allegedly edited a press release to remove references to Taiwan as a country.
The charges against Sun and Hu grew this summer when prosecutors accused them of operating a pandemic-era fraud scheme involving personal protective equipment. They steered state contracts towards companies controlled by family and friends in China, according to the indictment.
Sun's lawyers argue that she never had to register as a foreign agent because her recommendations were aligned with US policy. Her defense team claims that Sun's advice to stay clear of controversial topics like Taiwan was "politics as usual".
The trial is being administered by U.S. District Judge Brian Cogan, who previously oversaw the 2019 case against notorious Mexican drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman. The judge warned both sides to avoid references to spying or espionage and stick to the narrower charges at hand.
The jury will hear from Sun's colleagues and friends, as well as prosecutors' experts, in what could be a lengthy trial lasting 3-4 weeks.
Prosecutors say Sun worked within New York's government to advance the interests of China and the Chinese Communist Party. They claim she accepted bribes in exchange for secretly acting on behalf of the Chinese government, and even forged Hochul's signature on a visa application. Sun also allegedly edited a press release to remove references to Taiwan as a country.
The charges against Sun and Hu grew this summer when prosecutors accused them of operating a pandemic-era fraud scheme involving personal protective equipment. They steered state contracts towards companies controlled by family and friends in China, according to the indictment.
Sun's lawyers argue that she never had to register as a foreign agent because her recommendations were aligned with US policy. Her defense team claims that Sun's advice to stay clear of controversial topics like Taiwan was "politics as usual".
The trial is being administered by U.S. District Judge Brian Cogan, who previously oversaw the 2019 case against notorious Mexican drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman. The judge warned both sides to avoid references to spying or espionage and stick to the narrower charges at hand.
The jury will hear from Sun's colleagues and friends, as well as prosecutors' experts, in what could be a lengthy trial lasting 3-4 weeks.
This is so shocking! I mean, who would've thought that someone in such a powerful position would betray the US like this? 
It's not just about the money laundering and bribery, but also about the fact that she allegedly worked against US interests and compromised sensitive info. 
As a citizen, it's really disheartening to see someone in power doing something so underhanded.
The fact that she edited a press release to remove references to Taiwan is just crazy – it's like, what's next? 
I'm definitely keeping an eye on this trial, hoping justice is served. The thought of people operating a pandemic-era fraud scheme just to steer contracts towards companies with ties to China? 
That's some serious corruption right there.
Talk about bringing the heat!
! Linda Sun thinks she can just waltz into the US government and start working for China without anyone noticing? That's like trying to sneak a cookie into the office without anyone seeing – good luck with that! 
And her husband Chris is in on it too? This power couple combo sounds like they're straight out of a Bond movie (but not the good kind 
). I'm guessing they'll be trading in their suits for prison jumpsuits soon enough 
. On a more serious note, though, who knew that PPE could become such a hot commodity? Guess you could say they're really "masking" their tracks now 
!
And what's with the pandemic-era fraud scheme? Steering state contracts towards companies in China just because they're connected to family and friends? That doesn't seem right... 
I just can't help but feel like there are some bigger fish at play here... 
. The fact that they were able to get away with it for as long as they did is just mind-blowing...I mean, how many people knew what was going on? And the part about them steering state contracts towards companies in China is just shady 
.
This is like something straight out of a spy novel! I mean, you'd expect this kind of thing to happen in the movies, not in real life. How did we let someone with so much power and influence slip through the cracks? 
.
. We need more people who are willing to stand up for what's right and fight against corruption 
. Fingers crossed for a fair outcome! 
, minus the charm.
), but this is just wild. A senior official in the Department of Financial Services, using her position to advance China's interests and take bribes? That's some serious stuff. And to think she was "politics as usual" with her defense team 
... give me a break.
.
this is like something out of a spy novel I'm so fed up with people using their power to make bank for themselves and China at the expense of our country, it's just not right 
Linda Sun's actions are basically treason or something if you ask me and now she gets to plead her case in front of a judge? it's like she thinks she can just waltz out of this one because of who she used to work for? please 
and what's with the whole pandemic-era fraud scheme thing, that sounds super dodgy. I hope the jury sees through all the spin and gets to the truth 
, I'm sure of it. A former aide working for the government just happens to take bribes and do China's bidding? Yeah right... they say she forged Hochul's signature on a visa application, but I bet Hochul knew all about it 
. I'm not buying it... or rather, the jury won't either 
. I mean, what's the deal with accepting bribes and forging signatures? 
. Stealing state contracts from companies controlled by family and friends in China sounds like a major conflict of interest 
. And now she's facing trial, which is gonna be super interesting to watch 
. I don't know what the defense team is thinking with that "politics as usual" excuse