On July 27, the case of four individuals including Chinese businessman Zhu Sandong (also known as Andy Zhu) accused of obtaining a contract for emergency shelters in New York City through bribery was discussed at a progress meeting in the Eastern District Federal Court in New York. After hearing arguments from both the prosecution and defense, Judge Matsumoto postponed the trial scheduled for the end of next month to May 3, 2027.
The four defendants in this case include former New York City Mayor Adams’ former chief of staff F. Carone, his brother and lawyer A. Carone, Chinese businessman Zhu Sandong, and his company’s business manager Crystal Chen. None of the four have pleaded guilty.
According to the federal indictment, Zhu Sandong is accused of paying around $120,000 in bribes to the Carone brothers between 2022 and 2023, leading them to pressure the New York City Department of Social Services to award a contract worth over $6.82 million to the Microtel Inn hotel in Long Island for emergency shelter. The case involves multiple charges including bribery, wire fraud, money laundering, and obstruction of justice.
During the initial hearing on July 1, Carone’s lawyer strongly requested a trial date of August 24, emphasizing that the parties involved “did nothing wrong” and hoping for a speedy trial. By July 27, the defense changed its tune, stating that Zhu Sandong and Crystal Chen’s lawyers needed more time to prepare, and due to the significant amount of evidence involved in the case, they agreed to delay the trial.
Meanwhile, the prosecution cited the large volume of electronic evidence and the recent seizure of electronic devices whose data is still being processed and provided to the defense as reasons for applying to categorize the case as a “complex case.”
Outside the courtroom, Carone’s defense attorney Goldstein stated that the team has begun reviewing evidence and plans to challenge the prosecution’s charges through pretrial motions, uncovering legal and factual loopholes in the case.
Currently, all four defendants remain out on bail awaiting trial. As Zhu Sandong is a Chinese citizen born in Changle, Fujian, the prosecution believes he has “extensive ties” to China and with no extradition treaty between China and the United States, there is a high risk of flight. Therefore, the court set his bail at $8 million and ordered him to wear an electronic ankle monitor at all times; Chen’s bail was set at $100,000.
As the case unfolds, the DCNF under the conservative American media outlet “Daily Caller” published an investigative report on July 27, compiling the activity records of Chinese state media and Zhu Sandong, highlighting Zhu Sandong’s longstanding close ties with United Front Work Department-related organizations of the Chinese Communist Party, sparking further scrutiny of his background.
The report pointed out that Zhu Sandong served as a foreign member of the tenth committee of the All China Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese (ACFROC), a United Front-related organization of the Chinese Communist Party, in 2018, and participated in activities held by the organization in the US and China.
The report also revealed that Zhu Sandong has appeared alongside Chinese Overseas Affairs and United Front officials since 2012, including hosting Vice Chairmen of ACFROC Li Zhuobin and Li Bo, Chairman and Communist Party Secretary Wan Lijun. In May 2019, current member of the Chinese Communist Party Central Committee Wan Lijun held a welcome dinner for him in New York, encouraging attendees to act as “Chinese ambassadors” and promote the functions of ACFROC in “safeguarding the interests of overseas Chinese and expanding overseas friendship.”
The establishment of the Fuzhou Police Overseas Affairs Office shows how the “overseas friendship/safeguarding the interests of overseas Chinese” mouthed by the ACFROC in practice transforms into cooperation with public security, becoming an important bridge for the Chinese Communist Party to extend its law enforcement and monitoring powers overseas. The “Fujian Chang’an Net” reported in 2022: “Through the recommendation of the Fuzhou Overseas Chinese Federation, the Fuzhou Public Security Bureau has established the first batch of 30 ‘Fuzhou Police Overseas Affairs Service Stations’ on all five continents globally, with full support from the Fuzhou Municipal Committee United Front Work Department (Overseas Chinese Affairs Office).”
One of the police stations was set up in the East Coast Longle Association in 2022, and Zhu Sandong had donated $100,000 to the association in 2018. Former chairman Lu Jianwang of the Longle Association was recently convicted in New York City for operating an illegal police office on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party and is awaiting sentencing.
The DCNF report pointed out that Zhu Sandong has frequently hosted senior delegations from the Chinese government in the US. At a banquet in 2012, participants suggested forming the “East Coast Chinese Federation Overseas Advisory and Youth Friendship Association.” Zhu Sandong attended the event as the chief advisor of the “United Council of Chinese Associations in the East,” When the association registered under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) in 2023, it explicitly stated its affiliation with the “Chinese Overseas Friendship Association” (COFA), a subsidiary of the United Front Work Department.
During the celebrations marking the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 2019, Zhu Sandong was invited to Beijing to attend a series of events organized by the United Front Work Department and the ACFROC, including a reception at the Great Hall of the People, a garden party at the Diaoyutai State Guest House, and a military parade at Tiananmen Square. Epoch Times previously reported that former Deputy Chief of Staff to the Governor of New York, Linda Sun, also went to Beijing during the same period to attend related events, with assistance from Zhu Sandong to provide relevant entry tickets.
Even during the period of alleged bribery in New York City from 2022 to 2023, Zhu Sandong traveled to Fuzhou in July 2023 as the chief advisor to the East Coast Association. There, he held discussions with Zhang Yao, Deputy Chairman of the Fujian Overseas Chinese Federation.
Citing analysis from virologist Yan Limeng, who now resides in the United States, the DCNF report indicates that organizations like the ACFROC are not merely cultural or overseas Chinese affairs bodies. Instead, they are part of the strategic objectives of the Chinese Communist Party, aiming to establish long-term relationships through overseas Chinese associations and business networks to expand the political and security influence of the Chinese Communist Party overseas.
Regarding the content of the public information mentioned above, Epoch Times reached out via email to J. Bruce Maffeo, chief defense attorney for Zhu Sandong, for comment but had not received a response as of the time of publication.