On Tuesday, Linda Sun, a former aide to two New York governors, was charged with acting as an illegal agent of the Chinese government. Prosecutors allege that she used her state positions to subtly promote Beijing’s interests, receiving financial benefits amounting to millions of dollars in return.
Sun, who has held various roles in New York state government—most recently as deputy chief of staff for Governor Kathy Hochul and as deputy diversity officer for former Governor Andrew Cuomo—was arrested alongside her husband, Chris Hu, at their $4 million home in Long Island.
According to federal prosecutors, Sun blocked access to the governor’s office for representatives from Taiwan, acting on requests from Chinese officials. She also manipulated the messaging of New York’s government to align with Chinese government priorities, among other allegations.
In exchange for her actions, her husband reportedly received assistance for his business ventures in China. Prosecutors claim this support enabled the couple to acquire their luxurious property in Manhasset, a condominium in Hawaii worth $1.9 million, and high-end cars, including a 2024 Ferrari, as mentioned in the indictment.
Sun also allegedly accepted smaller gifts, such as performance tickets from a visiting Chinese orchestra and ballet troupe, as well as “Nanjing-style salted ducks” prepared by a chef for a Chinese government official and sent to her parents’ home in New York.
If the allegations hold true, they suggest that Chinese authorities were able to exert influence over New York’s government at high levels for almost a decade.
United States Attorney Breon Peace commented, “As stated in the charges, while pretending to serve the people of New York as Deputy Chief of Staff in the Executive Chamber, the defendant and her husband were actually working to promote the interests of the Chinese government and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Their illegal activities profited them by millions of dollars.”
During their initial court appearance in Brooklyn on Tuesday afternoon, both Sun and Hu pleaded not guilty and were released on bond. As part of the conditions of their release, Sun is prohibited from any contact with the consulate and mission of the People’s Republic of China.
Her defense attorney, Jarrod Schaeffer, expressed that they are eager to contest the charges, stating that “Our client is understandably upset that these charges have been brought against her.”
This case is part of a larger effort by the Justice Department to identify and eliminate covert agents for the Chinese government operating within the United States. In recent years, federal authorities have charged Chinese nationals with not only advancing Beijing’s interests but also harassing and threatening dissidents on behalf of the government.
Last year, the Justice Department accused two men of running a secret police station in New York City under directives from the Chinese government.
Sun, a naturalized U.S. citizen originally from China, worked in state government for approximately 15 years. She held positions in Cuomo’s administration and eventually became deputy chief of staff for Hochul. According to her LinkedIn profile, she began working as the deputy commissioner for strategic business development at the New York Department of Labor in November 2022, but left that position in March 2023.
A spokesperson for Hochul’s office indicated that Sun was terminated after evidence of misconduct was uncovered. The statement read, “This individual was hired by the Executive Chamber over ten years ago. We dismissed her in March 2023 upon discovering evidence of misconduct, immediately reported her actions to law enforcement, and have cooperated with law enforcement throughout this process.”
The indictment claims that Sun actively prevented representatives of Taiwan from meeting with high-level New York officials, noting that the Chinese government regards Taiwan as part of China.
Additionally, the indictment details exchanges Sun had with officials from the Chinese Consulate in New York in January 2021, while Cuomo was still in office and Hochul was serving as lieutenant governor. Although neither leader is named in the indictment, they are referred to as “Politician-1” and “Politician-2.”
When Chinese officials requested a Lunar New Year video from the governor, Sun indicated that Hochul could probably accommodate it and asked for “talking points of what they wanted her to mention.” An official advised that it should mostly contain holiday wishes and hope for friendship and cooperation without being too political.
Sun later reported to another official that she had a disagreement with Hochul’s speechwriter over the speech draft because the speechwriter wanted to include a mention of the “Uyghur situation” in China. She assured them it wouldn’t be included, and the final speech did not reference the Muslim ethnic minority.
Prosecutors argue that Sun’s activities in New York facilitated lucrative business deals for Hu in China, including discussions of exporting frozen seafood to China. Hu allegedly took steps to disguise the earnings from these ventures within the U.S., as stated in the indictment.
At the arraignment, Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander Solomon described the operations involved as utilizing “a multitude of shell and business entities,” emphasizing the complexity of the scheme, indicating, “This is no ordinary financial fraud.”
The FBI conducted a search of the couple’s expensive home in Manhasset in late July but did not provide detailed information at that time.
Sun faces multiple charges, including violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act, money laundering, and aiding others with visa fraud and illegal entry into the U.S. Hu has been charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering, conspiracy to commit bank fraud, and misuse of identification means. Neither has been charged with espionage.
Rich Azzopardi, a spokesperson for Cuomo, minimized Sun’s influence during the former governor’s administration, stating that she “worked in several agencies and was one of many community liaisons with little to no interaction with the governor.”
Sun and Hu reside in a gated community in Long Island called Stone Hill. They purchased their home in 2021 but transferred it into a trust earlier this year, according to property records.
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This report was contributed to by Associated Press reporters Michael R. Sisak and Larry Neumeister in New York, and Eric Tucker in Washington.
