Write an article about Ex-Hochul, Cuomo aide allegedly accepted kickbacks in PPE fraud – NBC New York .Organize the content with appropriate headings and subheadings (h1, h2, h3, h4, h5, h6), Retain any existing tags from
A grand jury returned a second superseding indictment that added charges against Linda Sun and her husband and co-defendant Chris Hu, prosecutors in the U.S. Attorneys Office in Brooklyn announced.
As alleged in the superseding indictment, while working with the team of New York State government employees responsible for obtaining PPE at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, Sun allegedly steered millions of dollars in contracts to vendors with whom she had undisclosed personal connections.
One of those companies was allegedly owned by Sun’s second cousin. Another company was operated by Hu and one of Hu’s business associates.
Prosecutors said spreadsheets maintained on Sun and Hu’s personal computer indicated that the cousin’s company provided payments to Hu (and Sun) totaling approximately $2.3 million during 2020 and 2021.
In addition, prosecutors said a spreadsheet found in one of Hu’s electronic accounts showed the total profits Hu expected to reap from the contracts that the Associate Company and the Cousin Company had with the NYS Department of Health totaled $8,029,741. Hu marked the column for these expected profits with the word “me.”
“When masks, gloves, and other protective supplies were hard to find, Sun abused her position of trust to steer contracts to her associates so that she and her husband could share in the profits,” Joseph Nocella, Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York said in a press release announcing the additional charges.
Sun’s attorney, Jarrod Schaeffer, responded to the new charges writing, “Scrambling to develop new theories and shoving new charges into an indictment as trial looms is both unfortunate and telling, but it is also unsurprising given how this case has proceeded and the government’s recent efforts to further delay trial in this case. The newest allegations continue the government’s trend of making and publicizing feverish accusations unmoored from the facts and evidence that we expect will actually come out at trial. Ms. Sun vehemently denies these latest allegations and intends to vigorously contest them in court.”
Sun and Hu were first arrested by the FBI back in Sept. 2024 and charged with multiple felonies, including, acting as unregistered agents of a foreign government, conspiracy to defraud the U.S..
According to an initial indictment, Sun allegedly used her connections to New York State government officials to act as an unregistered agent of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Among numerous accusations of acting under the direction of the People’s Republic of China’s officials, Sun allegedly blocked representatives of the Taiwanese government from accessing the governor’s office and worked to shape two unnamed politicians’ public statements on issues important to the CCP.
In return, Sun received business opportunities in China, travel perks, luxury gifts and employment for a relative, the indictment alleged. Sun and her husband are also accused of money laundering dating back to Jan. 2016.
According to her government bio, Sun was appointed deputy chief of staff to Hochul in Sept. 2021. At the time, she was the highest-appointed Asian-American in the administration.
Hochul’s office said she was fired from the governor’s office in 2023.
The new charges against Sun and Hu include honest services wire fraud, honest services wire fraud conspiracy, bribery and conspiracy to defraud the United States. Additionally, Hu was charged with tax evasion. The defendants will be arraigned on Monday, June 30, 2025
A spokesperson for Hochul said Sun was hired more than 10 years ago, under the Andrew Cuomo administration, and she was let go after “evidence of misconduct” was found.
“Her actions were immediately reported to law enforcement and we have assisted law enforcement throughout this process,” the spokesperson said.
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