On or about February 14, 2023, Linda Sun voluntarily submitted herself to an interview with the New York State Office of the Inspector General. In the interview, Sun claimed to be involved in the Asian community in a personal capacity, not in her new role at the Labor Department.
Image courtesy of U.S. District Court EDNY
A former top aide to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul was arrested Tuesday on federal criminal charges accusing her of acting as a covert agent for China and the Chinese Communist Party and laundering millions of dollars for China.
Linda Sun, who served as Hochul’s deputy chief of staff for a year in addition to other state positions, was charged with violating and conspiring to violate the Foreign Agents Registration Act, visa fraud, alien smuggling and Conspiracy to launder money.
Sun’s husband, businessman Chris Hu, 40, was also arrested on charges of conspiracy to launder money, conspiracy to commit bank fraud and abuse of identification.
The couple was arrested by FBI agents at their home on Long Island and are scheduled to appear in U.S. District Court in Brooklyn, New York, on Tuesday afternoon.
The proceeds were laundered as the couple allegedly planned to buy a $4.1 million home in Manhasset, Long Island, a $2.1 million condo in Honolulu and luxury cars including a 2024 Ferrari, prosecutors said .
An indictment alleges that while Sun, 41, worked in the governor’s office and multiple state agencies under Hochul and former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, she also served as a deputy director of the People’s Republic of China, where she was born. Unidentified agent.
This is an aerial view of the Saxon Courthouse, the home of Chris Hu and Linda Sun, in Manhasset, New York, on July 24, 2024. The FBI searched the home on July 23, 2024.
J. Conrad Williams Jr. | J.Conrad Williams Jr. Newsday | Getty Images
The indictment alleges that Sun engaged in numerous political activities for the benefit of the People’s Republic of China and the Chinese Communist Party while “acting at the request of government officials of the People’s Republic of China and representatives of the (Chinese Communist Party).” Taiwan”. The indictment alleges that he entered the New York Governor’s office, altered Hochul’s and another politician’s messages on issues of importance to China and the Chinese Communist Party, obtained the governor’s formal proclamations on China’s representatives, and attempted to facilitate Hochul’s travel to China.
She also allegedly arranged “a meeting between a visiting Chinese government delegation and New York State government officials.”
In return for these and other actions, Sun “received substantial financial and other benefits” from the Chinese government and Communist Party, prosecutors said.
That included “facilitating millions of dollars in transactions for Hu’s business activities in China,” the release said.
Sun also received tickets to events “to promote a close family friend’s business;
Sun’s cousin’s employment in China; and Nanjing-style salted duck prepared by a Chinese government official’s personal chef and delivered to Sun’s parents’ residence,” the release said.
“This individual was hired by the Executive Council over a decade ago,” Hochul’s press secretary Avi Small said in a statement to WNBC News 4 in New York.
“After discovering evidence of misconduct, we terminated her employment in March 2023, immediately reported her conduct to law enforcement and assisted law enforcement throughout the process,” Small said.
Sun was working for the state Department of Labor when he was fired.
According to the indictment, Sun held a series of positions in New York state government from 2012 to 2023, including serving as deputy director of Hochul’s office for one year starting in September 2021.
