On Thursday, the former New York State Deputy Chief of Staff accused of working for the Beijing government, Linda Sun, and her husband Chris Hu appeared in the Eastern District Federal Court in New York. Earlier, Sun’s defense lawyer had filed a motion to dismiss the case, alleging that the prosecution unfairly targeted her due to her Chinese background and wealth. During Thursday’s hearing, as the prosecution had not yet completed the disclosure of evidence materials and a large number of Chinese documents needed translation, the judge scheduled a further hearing for January 2025.
Sun’s attorney, Jarrod L. Schaeffer, submitted a motion to dismiss on November 4, claiming that the prosecution assumed Sun was involved in illegal activities simply because she and her family had “too much money” and were of Chinese descent.
In the motion, Schaeffer wrote, “This indictment is about money. In the government’s eyes, Mrs. Sun and her family have too much money, so there must be a hidden reason for that.” He continued, “The government incessantly talks about state ethics rules and undisclosed gifts, eventually concluding that when a Chinese woman is suspected of accepting unreported gifts from other Chinese individuals, she must be influenced by China.”
Regarding the accusations in the indictment that Sun used her position to “engage in various political activities that align with the interests of the CCP,” such as blocking communication between Taiwanese officials and the New York State Governor’s office, manipulating government information by deleting content related to Taiwan and Uyghur people, as well as obtaining official proclamations for Chinese officials without authorization, the defense did not deny the events but emphasized that her actions did not violate the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA).
Furthermore, the defense argued that even if Sun facilitated cooperation between New York and Taiwan, under the prosecution’s logic, she could still face charges.
In response to the allegation that Sun and her husband received millions of dollars in bribes, Sun’s defense lawyer blamed Chris Hu and emphasized that the indictment did not provide sufficient evidence to prove that Sun was aware the proceeds were illegal.
The prosecution expressed surprise at the defense’s early motion to dismiss, stating that the case is still in the evidence collection stage with approximately 1,700 pages of documents produced, but the materials have not been fully organized. Assistant Prosecutor Alexander A. Solomon explained that due to the large volume of evidence, much of it in Chinese, translation is time-consuming. Additionally, electronic devices seized remain locked due to lack of passwords, and Hu’s numerous bank accounts, totaling up to 80, have extended the investigation timeline.
Solomon added that the government plans to submit supplementary documents on Friday, including bank records and a response report of digital evidence, with translation work expected to be completed in early next year. He emphasized that the investigation is progressing according to the planned schedule without delays, stating, “We are making good progress.”
Judge Brian M. Cogan expressed concerns about the progress of evidence exchange, criticizing the prosecution for not asking Sun and her husband for passwords earlier: “Perhaps the outcome will be unexpected. If they do not provide the passwords, then inefficiency cannot be blamed.” He ultimately decided to hold another hearing in January next year and urged both sides to work closely to resolve evidence issues.
Notably, Teng Shaojun, the president of the U.S.-China Public Affairs Association with pro-Communist background, attended the court session as an observer.
According to the evidence list provided by the prosecution earlier, current evidence sources include financial records, relevant records from the New York State government (such as the Office of the State Inspector General, the State Ethics and Government Lobbying Commission, and the Department of Labor), search warrants for properties and equipment, winery business records, etc. Additionally, the government plans to call expert witnesses to analyze the activities of Chinese intelligence agencies and their united front work in the United States, explaining the interaction between these organizations and the local Chinese community.