A former top aide to New York Governor Kathy Hochul was arrested Tuesday on federal charges for allegedly acting as a secret agent for the Chinese government, authorities have revealed. Linda Sun, 41, is accused of using her influential roles in state government to further the interests of the Chinese government and the Chinese Communist Party in exchange for millions of dollars. Her husband, Chris Hu, 40, was also arrested in connection with the alleged scheme.
Sun and Hu are scheduled to appear in federal court in Brooklyn on Tuesday afternoon. Sun faces multiple charges including violations and conspiracy to violate the Foreign Agents Registration Act, visa fraud, alien smuggling, and money laundering. Hu is charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering, bank fraud, and misuse of identification.
The arrests follow an FBI search of the couple’s $3.5 million home in a gated Long Island community in Manhasset, which took place six weeks ago. Sun, who worked in state government for around 15 years, previously served in the administration of former Governor Andrew Cuomo before becoming Hochul’s deputy chief of staff, according to her LinkedIn profile.
Avi Small, a spokesperson for Governor Hochul, stated that Sun, who was hired over a decade ago, was terminated in March 2023 after misconduct was uncovered. Small added that Hochul’s team immediately reported Sun’s actions to law enforcement and has been assisting with the investigation.
The indictment alleges that Sun obstructed access for Taiwanese government representatives to high-ranking New York state officials and altered official communications on matters of interest to the Chinese government, all at the behest of Chinese officials. Sun is also accused of facilitating unauthorized travel and meetings for Chinese officials by issuing false invitation letters from state officials.
Brooklyn federal prosecutors asserted that Sun’s issuance of unauthorized invitation letters constituted false statements related to immigration documents and facilitated the unlawful entry of foreign nationals into the U.S. The report, originally posted on CBS News, then syndicated to MSN, said the following:
Sun’s unauthorized invitation letters for the PRC government delegation constituted false statements made in connection with immigration documents and induced the foreign citizens into unlawfully entering the United States,” Brooklyn federal prosecutors said in a press release.
Sun never registered as a foreign agent with the Attorney General, and in fact actively concealed that she took actions at the order, request, or direction of PRC government and the CCP representatives.”
In return for her services, Sun allegedly received millions of dollars related to her husband’s business activities in China, as well as event tickets, employment for her cousin in China, and Nanjing-style salted ducks prepared by a Chinese government official’s personal chef and delivered to her parents’ home, according to prosecutors. Sun was appointed deputy chief of staff to Hochul in September 2021, becoming the highest-ranking Asian American in the administration at that time. After leaving Hochul’s office, she briefly served as a deputy secretary in the state Labor Department.
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