Linda Sun: Former New York Governor’s Assistant Accused of Acting as Agent of Chinese Government

CNN
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A former adviser to New York Governor Kathy Hochul has been charged with acting as an agent of the Chinese government, U.S. Attorney Breon Peace announced Tuesday.

Linda Sun, Hochul’s former deputy chief of staff, was charged with violating the Foreign Agents Registrations Act and aiding and abetting a conspiracy to violate the Act, visa fraud, human smuggling and conspiracy to commit money laundering, according to an unsealed copy of the indictment.

Her husband and co-defendant, Chris Hu, was also charged with participating in money laundering and participating in the commission of bank fraud, as well as misuse of identification tools, prosecutors said.

According to sources, their home was searched by federal investigators in July.

Prosecutors said Sun acted as “an unknown agent of the Chinese government while her husband Hu facilitated the transfer of millions of dollars in bribes for personal gain.”

Sun and Hu were arrested Tuesday morning at their Long Island home. The couple is scheduled to appear in court Tuesday afternoon, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. CNN has reached out to attorneys representing Sun and Hu.

Sun “was hired by the Executive Chamber more than a decade ago. We terminated her employment in March 2023 after discovering evidence of misconduct, promptly reported her actions to law enforcement, and have assisted law enforcement throughout this process,” Hochul’s press secretary, Avi Small, said in a statement to CNN.

Allegations of unauthorized letters, money laundering and salted ducks from the PRC

According to court documents, Sun violated internal rules and protocols of the state government to benefit the Chinese government.

Prosecutors allege that Sun acted as an unnamed agent of the People’s Republic of China and the Chinese Communist Party, acting at their request and engaging in political activities to advance the interests of the CCP, including “blocking Taiwanese government representatives from accessing senior New York State officials.”

The indictment describes an attempt by Sun to obtain “unauthorized invitation letters” from the governor’s office, which were then used to facilitate travel by Chinese government officials to the United States for meetings with state officials in New York.

Sun’s unauthorized letters contained false statements on immigration documents and “induced the foreign nationals to enter the United States illegally,” prosecutors wrote.

Prosecutors also allege she attempted to “facilitate” a senior, unnamed New York politician to China.

Sun and her husband received “substantial economic and other benefits,” including millions of dollars in transactions for Hu’s Chinese business operations, travel reimbursements, event tickets, employment for Sun’s cousin in the People’s Republic of China, and a delivery of “Nanjing-style salted ducks prepared by a Chinese official’s personal chef,” which were then delivered to Sun’s parents’ home, the indictment said.

They also laundered the proceeds to purchase real estate in New York and Hawaii and several luxury vehicles, the indictment said.

Sun has held various government titles for more than a decade. Public employment records and her LinkedIn profile show positions spanning agencies focused on New York’s economic development, labor and the executive chamber.

In 2009, Sun was hired as chief of staff in the office of Rep. Grace Meng when Meng was in the State Assembly. In 2012, Sun was hired by the administration of former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who appointed her as director of Asian American Affairs and Queens Representative. Sun was then given a position as director of external affairs for Empire State Development, which oversees economic development in the state.

In 2018, she was rehired by the Cuomo administration and named Chief Diversity Officer, but later left that role for a job at the Department of Financial Services.

After Hochul reached the top position in the state, Sun was hired as deputy chief of staff. She served in this role for about a year before being appointed deputy commissioner for strategic affairs at the Ministry of Labor. Her service was terminated in March 2023.

This is a developing story and will be updated.