Ugh, holidays distracted me.
U.S. District Judge Brian Cogan declared a mistrial in the corruption case of Linda Sun, a former top aide to former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and current Gov. Kathy Hochul, and her husband, Chris Hu, after the jury couldn’t reach a unanimous verdict.
The government accused Sun of working as a Chinese agent, accepting kickbacks and gifts in exchange for influence in the New York government.
I’ve been covering her trial:
U.S. District Judge Brian Cogan declared a mistrial after the jury sent a note saying, “Your honor, after extensive deliberations and re-deliberations the jury remains unable to reach a unanimous verdict. The jurors positions are firmly held.”Judge Cogan called in the jury and asked the foreman whether jurors had reached a decision on any count. The foreman replied that they were deadlocked on all 19 counts.Prosecutor Alexander Solomon told the judge that the government wants to retry the case “as soon as possible.” A status conference is scheduled for January 26.
A juror told The New York Post that two jurors wouldn’t “find Sun and her husband Chris Hu guilty of 18 out of the 19 corruption and fraud charges they faced.”
One juror held out on the 19th count.
The prosecutors claimed Sun “blocked representatives of the Taiwanese government from meeting with high-ranking New York State government officials.”
Sun also allegedly forged Hochul’s signature on invites for Chinese officials to visit New York.
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