Governors Wes Moore of Maryland, Tim Walz of Minnesota, and Kathy Hochul of New York.
Photo: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
A former aide to Governor Kathy Hochul is facing federal charges that she used her positions in two state administrations to act on behalf of the Chinese government in exchange for perks and financial benefits, including luxury real-estate purchases and a 2024 Ferrari.
Linda Sun, 41, and her husband, Christopher Hu, 40, were arrested Tuesday morning and are expected to appear before a U.S. magistrate judge later in the day. Their arrests come weeks after FBI agents executed a search warrant on their Long Island home.
In a 64-page indictment, prosecutors allege that Sun “acted at the order, direction, or request of” officials from the Chinese government and the Chinese Communist Party and undertook political activities meant to influence members of New York State government. They claim Sun intentionally worked to prevent Taiwanese representatives from meeting with top state officials, arranged meetings between Chinese officials and members of New York State government, and obtained fraudulent Executive Chamber letters inviting Chinese government officials to the state, which they later used to “unlawfully obtain visas to enter the United States.”
In exchange, Sun and Hu received various gifts, including ballet and concert tickets, travel expenditures for Sun’s trips to China, and “Nanjing-style salted ducks” prepared by a Chinese official’s personal chef and delivered to the home of Sun’s parents. Hu’s China-based business interests also received assistance from two of the officials involved in the scheme, resulting in millions of dollars of profit. The couple used the proceeds to purchase a $3.6 million home in Manhasset as well as a $1.9 million condominium in Honolulu and a 2024 Ferrari. Hu is alleged to have transferred the money overseas via U.S. bank accounts he opened in a relative’s name, created without their knowledge.
“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 in a press release. “The illicit scheme enriched the defendant’s family to the tune of millions of dollars. Our Office will act decisively to prosecute those who serve as undisclosed agents of a foreign government.”
Sun has been accused of visa fraud and violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act, among other charges. Hu faces counts of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, money-laundering conspiracy, and misuse of means of identification.
Politico reports that Sun has held many roles in state government, working as an Asian-community liaison and deputy chief diversity officer under Cuomo and serving as Hochul’s deputy chief of staff in 2021. Sun left that role in 2022 to join the state’s Department of Labor.
In a statement, Hochul spokesman Avi Small said Sun was hired by the Executive Chamber over 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,” Small said.
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