Metro

Liu’s former campaign treasurer pleads not guilty to fraud

A key fund-raiser for embattled city Comptroller John Liu faces an uphill battle if he wants his campaign-finance indictment tossed out of court, a judge warned this morning.

A defense lawyer for Xing Wu “Oliver” Pan said he was still mulling a motion to dismiss the case due to the “outrageous” and “conscience-shocking” sting operation that snared Pan last year.

But Manhattan federal Judge Richard Sullivan told him: “It’s not often that’s the kind of relief courts are granting.”

Defense lawyer Irwin Rochman didn’t detail his allegations in court, and he declined to elaborate outside.

He also conceded that no one has ever before pulled off such a coup in New York’s federal court system, but insisted that Pan “is a good candidate” to succeed.

Rochman’s comments came after Pan and former Liu campaign treasurer Jia “Jenny” Hou pleaded not guilty to charges they steered illegal contributions into the Queens Democrat’s political war chest.

Prosecutors joined their cases together last week after efforts to strike a plea deal with Hou went nowhere.

Hou’s defense lawyer, Gerald Lefcourt, said in court that he was considering a motion to have the cases tried separately.

Lefcourt declined comment afterward.