A former prime aide to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul was arrested Tuesday on federal criminal charges accusing her of appearing as an undisclosed agent of China and the Chinese language Communist Get together, and of laundering thousands and thousands of {dollars} for China.
Linda Sun, who had been deputy chief of workers to Hochul for a yr along with holding different state authorities positions, is charged with violating and conspiring to violate the Foreign Agents Registration Act, visa fraud, alien smuggling, and money laundering conspiracy.
Solar’s husband, 40-year-old businessman Chris Hu, additionally was arrested on fees of cash laundering conspiracy, in addition to conspiracy to commit financial institution fraud and misuse of technique of identification.
The couple, who have been arrested by FBI brokers at their house on Lengthy Island, appeared Tuesday afternoon in U.S. District Courtroom in Brooklyn, New York, the place they each pleaded not responsible.
Solar was launched on a $1.5 million bond, and Hu was launched on a $500,000 bond. Solar additionally was ordered to not have any contact with the consulate and mission of the Individuals’s Republic of China.
Prosecutors say the couple laundered the proceeds of their alleged scheme to purchase a $4.1 million house in Manhasset, Lengthy Island, a $2.1 million condominium in Honolulu and luxurious vehicles that embody at 2024 Ferrari.
An indictment unsealed Tuesday alleges that the 41-year-old Solar, whereas working within the governor’s workplace beneath Hochul and former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, and in a number of state companies, additionally acted as an undisclosed agent for the Individuals’s Republic of China, the place she was born.
Linda Solar, a former aide to New York State Governor Kathy Hochul, exits Brooklyn Federal court docket with Chris Hu after Linda was charged with appearing as an unregistered agent of China’s authorities, in New York Metropolis, U.S., September 3, 2024.
Kent J. Edwards | Reuters
The indictment says that whereas “appearing on the request of PRC authorities officers and the [Communist Party of China] consultant, Solar engaged in quite a few political actions within the pursuits of the PRC and the CCP.”
These actions included “blocking representatives of the Taiwanese authorities from gaining access to” the New York governor’s workplace, altering Hochul’s and one other politician’s messaging concerning points essential to China and the CCP, acquiring official proclamations from the governor for PRC representatives, and making an attempt to facilitate a visit by Hochul to China, the indictment alleges.
She additionally allegedly organized “for conferences for visiting delegations from the PRC authorities with New York State authorities officers.”
Prosecutors mentioned that in return for these and different actions, Solar “acquired substantial financial and different advantages” from the Chinese language authorities and the Communist Get together.
These included “the facilitation of thousands and thousands of {dollars} in transactions for the PRC-based enterprise actions of Hu,” the press launch mentioned.
This an aerial view of the Saxony Courtroom, house in Manhasset, New York belonging to Chris Hu and Linda Solar, July 24, 2024. Solar is the previous deputy chief of workers for New York State governor Kathy Hochul. The FBI searched the house on July 23, 2024.
J. Conrad Williams Jr. | Newsday | Getty Photographs
Solar additionally acquired tickets to occasions, “promotion of a detailed household good friend’s enterprise; employment for Solar’s cousin within the PRC; and Nanjing-style salted geese ready by a PRC authorities official’s private chef that have been delivered to the residence of Solar’s dad and mom,” the discharge mentioned.
Attorneys for Solar and Hu didn’t instantly reply to requests for touch upon the indictment.
Hochul’s press secretary, Avi Small, in a press release to WNBC Information 4 about Solar mentioned, “This particular person was employed by the Govt Chamber greater than a decade in the past.”
“We terminated her employment in March 2023 after discovering proof of misconduct, instantly reported her actions to legislation enforcement and have assisted legislation enforcement all through this course of,” Small mentioned.
Solar was working for the state Labor Division on the time she was fired.
In response to the indictment, Solar held a sequence of positions inside New York state authorities from 2012 till 2023, together with deputy chief of workers to Hochul for a yr, starting in September 2021.
