Overview
- Jurors saw Jan. 25, 2021 messages in which Linda Sun told Chinese consular contacts that Kathy Hochul was “much more obedient” than Andrew Cuomo and said she could secure a greeting from the lieutenant governor.
- The Lunar New Year video Hochul recorded as lieutenant governor appears on the New York Chinese Consulate’s YouTube channel and mentions Consul General Huang Ping by name.
- Prosecutors argue the outreach formed part of an unregistered foreign-agent scheme that included favors for Chinese officials and money funneled to Sun’s husband’s seafood company to bankroll luxury homes and a Ferrari Roma.
- Sun, who was terminated from the Executive Chamber in 2023, has pleaded not guilty to charges including FARA violations, visa fraud and money laundering as the Brooklyn federal trial continues.
- The disclosures triggered public criticism of Hochul and fresh calls from New York lawmakers for a bipartisan commission to examine foreign influence in state government.