Choose Brian Cogan presides over the trial of Chris Hu, sitting with co-defendant Linda Solar in U.S. Courtroom on prices of appearing as unregistered brokers of China’s authorities, in Brooklyn, New York Metropolis, U.S., November 12, 2025, in a courtroom sketch. REUTERS/Jane Rosenberg
Deliberations within the bribery trial in opposition to Linda Solar, a former aide to New York Governors Andrew Cuomo and Kathy Hochul, resulted in a mistrial Monday after jurors stated they had been deadlocked on all 19 counts in opposition to Solar and her husband, Chris Hu.
“Your Honor, after extensive deliberations and re-deliberations, the jury remains unable to reach a unanimous verdict. The jurors positions are firmly held,” the panel, which started deliberating on Dec. 12 after which restarted with an alternate on Monday morning, wrote to U.S. District Choose Brian Cogan of the Japanese District of New York.
Solar, 42, was accused of taking items and advantages price tens of millions of {dollars} in alternate for working as a Chinese language agent, together with by facilitating communications between New York state officers and Chinese language authorities officers; organizing Chinese language authorities officers’ visits to the U.S.; and blocking Taiwanese officers from assembly with New York’s governors.
The payoff, prosecutors say, included profitable enterprise offers, journey perks and lavish trappings like a $2 million Honolulu condominium and Nanjing-style salted geese ready by a Chinese language authorities official’s private chef.
“Linda Sun was all about the money. The PRC government knew this, and it kept her on the line with a steady stream of presents, favors and helping hands,” Assistant U.S. Legal professional Alexander Solomon informed the jury throughout closing arguments.
Linda Solar and co-defendant Chris Hu arrive at U.S courtroom throughout her trial on prices of appearing as unregistered brokers of China’s authorities, in Brooklyn, New York Metropolis, U.S., November 24, 2025. REUTERS/Adam Grey
Prosecutors indicted Solar and Hu in 2024 on prices of appearing as brokers of the Individuals’s Republic of China in violation of the Overseas Brokers Registration Act, plus visa fraud, financial institution fraud and cash laundering.
A 12 months later they tacked on prices associated to a ran an alleged pandemic-era fraud scheme, accusing Solar of taking kickbacks whereas steering tens of millions in contracts to her husband and cousin.
All through the trial, which started on Nov. 10, the federal government referred to as 41 witnesses. The protection referred to as eight witnesses.
Solomon informed Cogan the federal government needs to retry the case “as soon as possible.”
Solar’s lawyer, Jarrod Schaeffer of the agency Abell Eskew Landau, stated his shopper maintains her innocence.
“The inability of dedicated jurors to reach a unanimous verdict on all counts despite days of conscientious deliberation underscores how questionable and flawed these charges were,” Schaeffer stated in a press release emailed to New York News Legislation.
“Right now we are focused on next steps in this process, which has already taken a serious toll on Linda and her family. We sincerely hope that the government recognizes what this mistrial indicates and that it declines to retry such unsound charges.”
Hu was represented by Bracewell attorneys together with Seth DuCharme, former appearing U.S. lawyer for the Japanese District of New York, the place the case was tried, and Nicole Boeckmann. The crew echoed Schaeffer in saying Hu stays “adamant that he is innocent” and that the deadlocked jury signifies flawed prices.
“The government should seriously reconsider an attempt to proceed to trial again in this matter,” the Bracewell attorneys stated in a press release.
