A former aide to New York Governor Kathy Hochul was charged on Tuesday with secretly acting as an agent of the Chinese government in exchange for millions of dollars in compensation and gifts, including meals of gourmet duck. - REUTERS
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00:00Linda Sun, a former aide to New York Governor Kathy Hochul, left a New York City courthouse
00:06on Tuesday after she was charged with secretly acting as an agent of the Chinese government
00:10in exchange for millions of dollars in compensation and gifts.
00:14Both Sun and her husband, Chris Hu, were arrested Tuesday morning.
00:17Each pleaded not guilty to the criminal charges.
00:20Gerard Schaefer is a lawyer for Sun.
00:22Charges are disappointing.
00:23They are the product of an overly aggressive investigation.
00:29And we are looking forward to exercising our right to a speedy trial and addressing
00:33these accusations in the forum where it's most appropriate, which is a court of law.
00:38Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn said that while working in state government, Sun blocked
00:41representatives of the Taiwanese government from meeting with officials and sought to
00:45arrange for a high-level New York state official to visit China.
00:49In exchange, Chinese government representatives allegedly arranged for millions of dollars
00:54in transactions for Sun's husband, who had business activities in China.
00:59Federal prosecutors said the couple used money to buy a 2024 Ferrari Roma sports car, as
01:03well as property on New York's Long Island and in Honolulu worth about $6 million.
01:09Governor Hochul was not accused of any wrongdoing.
01:11A spokesperson for Hochul said her office fired Sun in March 2023 after discovering
01:16evidence of misconduct, reported Sun's actions immediately to authorities, and has assisted
01:21law enforcement throughout the process.
01:23The judge ordered Sun released on a $1.5 million bond and Chris Hu on a $500,000 bond.