In a stunning revelation during a high-profile trial, Linda Sun, accused of being a Chinese operative, allegedly forged the signature of then-Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul. This fraudulent act, detailed by federal prosecutors, involved sending flattering letters to officials in China’s Henan province.

During proceedings at a federal court in Brooklyn, jurors reviewed letters dated March 26, 2018, which supposedly invited a six-member delegation from central China to meet with then-Governor Andrew Cuomo.

These letters, however, were found to contain signatures of Hochul that appeared to be forged, characterized by handwriting that was described as “overly loopy” by Jeff Lewis, Hochul’s former chief of staff.

Lewis provided testimony, highlighting discrepancies in the signature style. “Based on my knowledge, this is not how she would sign her name,” he explained to the jury last week.

He further elaborated, “The ‘K’ is notably different than usual. There’s an exaggerated loopiness or a bubbly quality to the handwriting that is uncharacteristic.”

The letters suggested that members of the delegation could expect discussions about “promoting greater investment, trade cooperation and tourism opportunities” with the Empire State, court records show.

Prosecutors say that Sun, who served as Cuomo’s director of Asian-American affairs, forged the governor’s then-No. 2 Hochul’s signature several times that year in an attempt to curry favor with Chinese officials.

Over the same time span, Sun’s alleged handlers in Beijing showered her family with gaudy gifts and steered millions of dollars in contracts to her husband Chris Hu’s seafood exporting business, the feds claim.

In exchange, Sun, who also worked as a top aide to Hochul when she succeeded Cuomo as governor, attempted to advance China’s agenda in New York state, federal prosecutors allege.

“Her loyalty was for sale, and the Chinese government, which wanted to influence the New York government, was willing to pay her to do their bidding,” prosecutor Amanda Shami said during last week’s opening statements.

Sun and Hu are separately charged with taking illegal “kickbacks” from a PPE company run by Sun’s cousin in exchange for recommending that the state dole out millions in contracts to the firm in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Jurors on Monday saw evidence of the alleged spoils from the purportedly crooked schemes found at Sun’s parents home in Flushing, Queens, and at the $4 million Long Island mansion that the married couple shared at the time of their arrest last year.

A special agent from the FBI’s New York field office testified that he found a pearl necklace at Sun’s parents’ home tucked into a jewelry box that also contained the business card of a Chinese government official.

Jurors also got a glimpse of a Rolex watch that the feds recovered from the parents’ home, and a Patek Phillippe that the FBI found inside the $4 million Manhasset manse where Sun and Hu lived.

Prosecutors are expected to reveal more about the alleged fruits of the scheme, including that Sun’s family received several fancy Nanjing-style salted ducks prepared by the personal chef of a Chinese consulate official.

Hochul, not Cuomo, ended up meeting with the Henan province delegation herself in June 2018, Lewis recalled during his testimony Thursday.

The meeting only lasted a few minutes, but Hochul posed for a photo with the Chinese dignitaries, he told jurors.

Sun, who had set up the meeting, was “anxious” after Lewis threatened to cancel the sit-down because Hochul had not taken adequate time to prepare to discuss the issues the delegation wanted to speak about, he testified.

Sun’s other alleged acts on behalf of China included secretly placing a consulate official on a private phone call in 2020 where New York state officials discussed their response to the mushrooming pandemic.

She also allegedly used her position of power to sway Cuomo and Hochul to not meet with officials from the communist nation’s rival Taiwan — and once allegedly stopped Cuomo from publicly thanking the island nation.

Sun had risen the ranks to become a deputy chief in the executive chamber before she was fired in March 2023 after the administration uncovered misconduct that it reported to law enforcement, according to the governor’s office.

The trial is expected to last around three more weeks and feature testimony from various state officials and experts on China-US relations.

The feds also revealed late Monday that they plan to call Sun’s mother as a prosecution witness — but Sun’s attorneys are trying to keep her off the stand.

Judge Brian Cogan has yet to decide on the issue. The trial resumes Tuesday morning with testimony from a New York state expert on ethics rules.

Sun has pleaded not guilty to failing register as a Chinese agent and other charges, while Hu has denied charges of federal program bribery, money laundering and fraud.

Sun’s lawyer, Jarrod Schaeffer, has argued that the alleged Chinese agent was in fact a dedicated public servant.

“The evidence will show that Linda was working on behalf of New Yorkers,” he told the jury at the start of the trial, adding later that, “This New Yorker was working for New York.

Schaeffer acknowledged that Sun received gifts, and steered New York leaders away from politically touchy topics like Taiwan.

But she did not need to register as agent of China because she never was one, he argued in his opening statement.

“Isn’t that just politics?” he asked.

Prosecutors say that Sun and Hu used the proceeds from their allegedly criminal scheme to buy the Long Island mansion, a $2 million second home in Hawaii and luxury cars like a Ferrari Roma.

But Hu’s defense attorney, Nicole Boeckmann, has accused the feds of trying to “fit a square peg in a round hole” by targeting Hu and Sun just because of their apparent wealth.

“Working hard and being successful does not mean you are a criminal,” she said.