A former deputy chief of staff to Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has been charged with being an agent of the Chinese government and the Chinese Communist Party.
Linda Sun was charged with violating and conspiring to violate the Foreign Agents Registration Act, visa fraud, alien smuggling, and money laundering conspiracy, according to a Department of Justice news release.
Chris Hu, Sun’s husband, is charged with money laundering conspiracy, as well as conspiracy to commit bank fraud and misuse of means of identification. Sun and Hu were to appear in federal court on Tuesday.
“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,” U.S. Attorney Breon Peace said. “The illicit scheme enriched the defendant’s family to the tune of millions of dollars.”
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Former Deputy Chief of Staff to the Governor of New York arrested by the FBI and charged with being a CHINESE AGENT.
Linda Sun, who worked as a top aide for Gov. Kathy Hochul, has been charged with acting as an undisclosed agent for the People’s Republic of… pic.twitter.com/EoQu2lvXyd
— Oli London (@OliLondonTV) September 3, 2024
“As alleged in the indictment, Linda Sun, a former New York State government employee, acted as an undisclosed agent of the Chinese government while her husband, Christopher Hu, facilitated the transfer of millions of dollars in kickbacks for personal gain. Sun wielded her position of influence among executives to covertly promote PRC and CCP agendas, directly threatening our country’s national security,” FBI Acting Assistant Director Christie Curtis said.
The indictment said while working in the Executive Chamber of New York state government, Sun did the bidding of China and its Communist Party by blocking access to state officials by representatives of Taiwan and using her position to issue communications that supported China’s agenda.
Sun also issued unauthorized invitation letters to Chinese officials that fraudulently allowed those officials into the country
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China showered millions of dollars upon Sun and Hu, the release said, including “Nanjing-style salted ducks prepared by a PRC government official’s personal chef that were delivered to the residence of Sun’s parents”
Through the deal, the couple could afford a $4.1 million home in Manhasset, New York, a $2.1 million home in Honolulu and luxury vehicles. Sun is alleged to have never reported this to state officials, as required.
“This individual was hired by the Executive Chamber more than a decade ago. 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,” Hochul’s office said in a statement, according to WABC-TV.
The couple’s Long Island home was raided by the FBI in July. At that time, a report in the New York Post said that Sun left state government under a cloud last year.
The report, citing a source it did not name, said Sun was fired after unspecified “evidence of misconduct” emerged. The source said the incident was referred to law enforcement.
Sun spent about 14 years in state government, with duties related to business development, Asian-American affairs, and diversity.
According to Newsday, Sun began a 15-month stint in the governor’s office after Hochul succeeded former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in 2021.
In November 2022, she left the executive chamber for a position in the state Department of Labor, according to The New York Times.
In early 2023, she left state government and served as the campaign manager for unsuccessful Democratic congressional candidate Austin Cheng.
Hu runs a liquor store and a medical supplies company among other business ventures.
