Federal prosecutors alleged in an indictment unsealed Tuesday that Linda Sun – a former top-level aide to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul – schemed to advance the interests of China while working in New York State government. Sun had worked directly for Hochul’s administration for roughly 15 months following Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s 2021 resignation from the governor’s office amid allegations of sexual misconduct.
The indictment charges Sun with failure to register as a foreign agent, visa fraud, alien smuggling and money laundering conspiracy. Prosecutors added that Sun’s husband, Christopher Hu, also allegedly facilitated the transfer of millions of dollars in kickbacks for personal gain. According to federal prosecutors from the Eastern District of New York and the FBI, Sun, 40, and Hu, 41, were arrested at their home on Long Island’s North Short on Tuesday morning on unspecified charges, after the FBI had searched the Manhasset home in July.
Sun worked in state government for about 15 years before she was fired last year from her job as deputy commissioner for strategic business development at the New York State Department of Labor. She previously served as Hochul’s deputy chief of staff and in the administration of former Gov. Andrew Cuomo. According to Hochul’s press secretary Avi Small, Sun was hired by the Executive Chamber more than a decade ago, before being fired last year. Small said in a statement to ABC News: “we terminated her employment in March 2023 after discovering evidence of misconduct, immediately reported her actions to law enforcement and have assisted law enforcement throughout this process.”
The indictment alleges that Sun blocked Taiwanese government officials from having access to high-level New York State officers, acting at the request of Chinese government officials and representatives of the Chinese Communist Party. According to the indictment, it is also alleged that Sun changed New York State officers’ messaging about China and arranged meetings for visiting delegations from the PRC government with New York State government officials. In return for these and other actions, Sun allegedly received economic and other benefits from China, including the facilitation of millions of dollars in transactions for the China-based business activities of Hu; travel benefits; tickets to events; promotion of a close family friend’s business; employment for Sun’s cousin in the PRC; and Nanjing-style salted ducks prepared by a PRC government official’s personal chef that were delivered to the residence of Sun’s parents.
United States Attorney Breon Peace said in a statement: “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. The illicit scheme enriched the defendant’s family to the tune of millions of dollars.”
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