Federal authorities unveiled a detailed accusation on Tuesday, asserting that a former right-hand aide to Governor Kathy Hochul of New York, a Democrat, reportedly served as a covert agent for China, according to an announcement from the Eastern District of New York’s U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Arrests were made at Linda Sun and her spouse, Chris Hu’s lavish $3.5 million home. Prior to ascending to the role of deputy chief of staff under Gov. Hochul, Sun had occupied several roles within the state’s government apparatus.
The Department of Justice alleges Sun was operating on behalf of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), accusing her of obstructing Taiwanese representatives’ access to New York’s high-ranking officials, tweaking state government communications related to the Chinese government, and making efforts to organize a visit to China for a prominent New York politician, among other acts.
Sun faces charges including contravening the Foreign Agents Registration Act, conspiring against it, visa fraud, smuggling aliens, and conspiracy to launder money. Her husband is being prosecuted for conspiracy to launder money, conspiring to commit bank fraud, and identity misuse, as outlined by the prosecutors.
US Attorney Breon Peace commented, “As alleged, while appearing to serve the people of New York as Deputy Chief of Staff within the New York State Executive Chamber, the defendant and her husband actually worked to further the interests of the Chinese government and the CCP,” adding, “The illicit scheme enriched the defendant’s family to the tune of millions of dollars. Our Office will act decisively to prosecute those who serve as undisclosed agents of a foreign government.”
Curtis, the FBI’s Acting Assistant Director, pointed out Sun’s role as an agent for the PRC and CCP, and how Christopher Hu “facilitated the transfer of millions of dollars in kickbacks for personal gain.”
He also accused, “Sun wielded her position of influence among executives to covertly promote PRC and CCP agendas, directly threatening our country’s national security.”
The IRS has found that the couple engaged in laundering millions for a foreign nation and bolstered their financial gains from these operations to acquire luxury cars and properties in New York worth millions.
Having served in the state government for about 15 years, Sun’s roles spanned the administration of Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, culminating in her tenure as Hochul’s deputy chief of staff, her LinkedIn profile discloses. She took up a new role at the New York Department of Labor as the deputy commissioner for strategic business development in Nov. 2022 but resigned in March 2023, a few months later.
In response to these allegations, Hochul’s office released a statement, as per AP, explaining, “This individual was hired by the Executive Chamber more than a decade ago. We terminated her employment March 2023 after discovering evidence of misconduct, immediately reported her actions to law enforcement and have assisted law enforcement throughout this process.”
Sun and Hu are expected to appear before the United States Magistrate Judge Peggy Kuo for their arraignment.
