Jia “Jenny” Hou, city Comptroller John Liu’s campaign treasurer who was arrested on federal fraud charges yesterday, is the daughter of a prominent Flushing, Queens, businessman and a long-time financial backer of her boss.
Jian Li “Peter” Hou came to the United States from Beijing in 1986, according to a 2008 profile in the Beijing Evening Mirror.
His company, NY Business Fire Systems, specializes in helping restaurants meet government fire regulations.
“Our industry is semi-governmental; we have to work with the government for all jobs, so it’s like an iron rice bowl,” Hou told the paper.
Hou, 54, also took an interest in government officials.
He donated $15,600 to local city candidates over the years, the bulk to Liu, including a $4,150 donation he just made on Jan. 5. He also is listed as a bundler for Liu.
Hou’s wife, Sui Xiang Zhu, donated another $6,800 to Liu.
The elder Hou is a leading member of the Beijing Association of New York and its Web site lists him as an honorary president.
This month, Liu honored the group with an official proclamation during its celebration of the Chinese Lunar New Year.
Jenny Hou, a Beijing-born 25-year-old Rutgers graduate, worked for Liu’s 2009 comptroller campaign.
As a young aide, she displayed a caustic wit — at one point posting a picture on Facebook of rival candidate David Weprin defaced with a devil’s pitchfork, goatee and horns with the “comp” in comptroller blacked out to read “troll.”