Ex-aide to New York governor Kathy Hochul charged as Chinese agent

The pair were due to face a Brooklyn federal court on charges including violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act, visa fraud, bringing in aliens and money laundering conspiracy.

Prosecutors say that Ms Sun acted as “an undisclosed agent of the Chinese government”, while her husband “facilitated the transfer of millions of dollars in kickbacks for personal gain”.

She is alleged to have blocked representatives of Taiwan’s government from speaking to New York officials, provided unauthorised invitation letters to the US for Chinese officials and changed state officials’ messaging about China.

Christie Curtis, the acting assistant director of the FBI, said Ms Sun “wielded her position… to covertly promote” the Chinese agenda, “directly threatening our country’s national security”.

In return, prosecutors claim Ms Sun was given rewards totalling millions of dollars. They were also given show tickets, travel perks and food including, according to the indictment, meals of Nanjing-style salted duck.

The couple laundered large amounts of money to buy luxuries including a Ferrari sports car and property in Hawaii and New York, the indictment says.

“The illicit scheme enriched the defendant’s family to the tune of millions of dollars,” said US Attorney Breon Peace.

The indictment says Mr Hu operated several businesses in New York, including a seafood exporter, a wine store and a financial consultancy, and frequently relied on the services of an authorised freight agent of the Chinese government.