Linda Solar had served because the deputy chief of employees to New York Governor Kathy Hochul for a 12 months. (File)
A former aide to New York Governor Kathy Hochul has been arrested immediately and charged with appearing as an undisclosed agent of China, federal prosecutors in Brooklyn stated.
Linda Solar had served because the deputy chief of employees to Ms Hochul for a 12 months. The 41-year-old has additionally been accused of visa fraud, alien smuggling and cash laundering conspiracy.
It’s alleged that whereas working within the state authorities, Ms Solar blocked Taiwanese authorities’s representatives from assembly officers and sought to organise a high-level New York state official’s go to to China.
“In return for these and different actions, Ms Solar acquired substantial financial and different advantages from representatives of the Folks’s Republic of China (PRC) authorities and the Chinese language Communist Celebration,” the US Lawyer’s Workplace stated in a press launch.
Her husband Chris Hu has additionally been arrested. The prosecutors stated the Chinese language authorities facilitated thousands and thousands of {dollars} in transactions for Mr Hu, who carried out enterprise actions in China.
Ms Solar additionally acquired a number of presents, together with Nanjing-style salted geese ready by a Chinese language authorities official’s chef, prosecutors added.
Ms Solar and Mr Hu laundered the proceeds of their scheme to buy a $4.1 million property in New York, a $2.1 million condominium in Hawaii and varied luxurious cars, together with a 2024 Ferrari, the US Lawyer’s Workplace stated.
