New York Focus: Prof. Zephyr Teachout Explains Why There’s Been a Major Uptick in Federal Criminal Prosecutions

It’s the second time in the past month that a local or state official in New York has been accused of accepting payoffs from and taking action on behalf of a foreign government. In early September, federal prosecutors accused Linda Sun, then an aide to New York Governor Kathy Hochul, of accepting substantial economic and other benefits from China and the Chinese Communist Party, along with her husband. In late September, Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, James E. Dennehy, the Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Jocelyn E. Strauber, the Commissioner of the New York City Department of Investigation, announced the unsealing of an indictment charging New York City Mayor Eric Adams with bribery, campaign finance, and conspiracy offenses.

Fordham Law Professor Zephyr Teachout spoke with New York Focus about why there has been a major uptick in federal criminal prosecutions since 2016.

Among some scholars, China is known for playing the long game in its efforts to sway foreign hearts and minds.

Turkish or Chinese officials may not have known exactly what Adams or Sun could do for them, said Zephyr Teachout, a former New York candidate for governor and professor at the Fordham University School of Law who has written extensively about corruption. But they were in position to make a difference.

“The quid is the payment — and the quo is when opportunities arise,” Teachout said. “I don’t know that the [foreign]governments beforehand would have individual actions targeted, as opposed to recognizing there’s going to be a lot of little moments where a thumb on the scale is going to matter.”

Concerning foreign policy, Teachout said, what federal officials think can often be “shaped by the locals.” Though they targeted lower rungs than Washington, DC, these campaigns still allegedly aimed their efforts at the country’s largest city and one of its biggest states.

Adams was not charged with acting as an agent for a foreign government, as Sun was.

Sun was charged with violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), which requires lobbyists and other people attempting to influence the government to disclose when they are being paid by foreign governments or political parties.

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Since then, there’s been a major uptick in federal criminal prosecutions regarding foreign influence. In the five decades leading up to 2016, the Justice Department made just seven indictments under FARA. In the eight years since, there have been more than 20.

Some scholars say this increase is due to an increase in foreign influence itself. “What you’ve seen in the last 10 years is a massive ramping up of foreign influence campaigns,” Teachout said.

Read “What Does Turkey Want From Eric Adams?” on New York Focus.