A former aide to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul was charged with acting as an undisclosed agent of the Chinese government, federal prosecutors in Brooklyn said.
Prosecutors said Linda Sun, 41, was arrested Tuesday and was expected in court later in the day. Sun's husband, Chris Hu, also faces criminal charges.
While working in state government, Sun allegedly blocked representatives of the Taiwanese government from meeting with officials and allegedly sought to arrange for a high-level New York state official to visit China.
In exchange, prosecutors said Chinese government representatives facilitated millions of dollars in transactions for Hu, who had business activities in China.
Other gifts included Nanjing-style salted ducks prepared by a Chinese government official's personal chef and delivered to the home of Sun's parents, prosecutors said.
Lawyers for Sun and Hu didn't immediately respond to requests for comment.