Jury Deadlocks in Trial of Former Hochul and Cuomo Aide Accused of Ties to China
A federal jury in Brooklyn has failed to reach a verdict in the high-profile case against Linda Sun, a former top aide to New York Governors Andrew Cuomo and Kathy Hochul, who was accused of acting as an unregistered agent for the Chinese government.
On Monday afternoon, U.S. District Judge Brian Cogan declared a mistrial after jurors reported they were deadlocked on all 19 counts of the indictment. The jury sent a note to the court stating, “After extensive deliberations and redeliberations, the jury remains unable to reach a unanimous verdict. The jurors’ positions are firmly held.”
The case centered on allegations that Sun accepted millions of dollars in gifts and bribes in exchange for using her position in state government to benefit the interests of the Chinese government and the ruling Communist Party. She faced multiple charges, including acting as an unregistered foreign agent, wire fraud, visa fraud, and money laundering.
Sun’s husband, Chris Hu, was also charged and accused of helping to launder the alleged bribes through his various businesses and bank accounts. Both Sun and Hu pleaded not guilty.
Federal prosecutors brought more than 40 witnesses over the course of the month-long trial, seeking to portray Sun as betraying her public office by influencing New York state policy on behalf of China. Among the evidence presented were text messages in which prosecutors said Sun boasted to Chinese consular officials about having blocked meetings with Taiwanese delegates and discouraging discussion about the Uyghur minority group, who have faced persecution by the Chinese government.
Prosecutors also highlighted the couple’s affluent lifestyle, introducing images of their $3.6 million mansion in Manhasset, a $1.9 million condominium in Hawaii, and a 2024 Ferrari Roma.
In response, defense attorneys argued that Sun was a loyal and competent public servant working in a politically sensitive environment. They said that any financial success achieved by Hu through his business dealings in China was unrelated to his wife’s responsibilities in state government.
“Throughout this trial, Linda Sun has steadfastly maintained her innocence—and that does not change now,” defense attorney Jarrod Schaeffer said in a statement following the mistrial. “We sincerely hope that the government recognizes what this mistrial indicates and that it declines to retry such unsound charges.”
Judge Cogan has scheduled a status conference for January 26 to determine the next steps in the case.