Linda Sun, a former aide to New York governor Kathy Hochul, acted at the direction of Chinese government and Chinese Communist Party officials while serving in state government, federal prosecutors alleged in an indictment Tuesday.
In a statement, the U.S. attorney's office in the Eastern District of New York said that Sun was arrested Tuesday morning with her husband, Christopher Hu. They are expected to be arraigned later in the day.
Sun is a former deputy chief of staff to Kathy Hochul and has served in numerous roles throughout New York state government since her first post under the administration of former governor Andrew Cuomo in 2012. Prior to that, she served as Representative Grace Meng's chief of staff, when the Queens Democrat served in the New York state assembly.
"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 federal government is alleging that Sun was an unregistered agent of the Chinese government and that her husband engaged in money-laundering while coordinating the flow of millions of dollars in bribes from Chinese officials.
Specifically, Chinese government and CCP officials directed her to block Taiwanese officials from engaging with officials from New York. Beijing views the current government of Taiwan as a traitorous separatist movement and wants to annex the country.
Sun also allegedly changed New York State messaging to reflect Chinese party-state priorities, tried to facilitate a trip to China by an unnamed "high-level New York State politician," and set up meetings for Chinese government delegations visiting the state.
She allegedly violated the New York government's internal protocols by crafting invitations from high-level government offices that she extended to Chinese government officials. The federal government alleged that this was a false statement in connection to immigration documents, as it prompted foreign nationals to enter the United States illegally.
Hochul had attended events hosted by pro-Beijing organizations in America during Sun's tenure in New York state government. One of these groups, the China General Chamber of Commerce New York — which represents Chinese state-owned firms — thanked Sun for her assistance in a press release that celebrated her promotion to deputy chief of staff.
Last year, Hochul marched in an annual parade attended by Chinese diplomats and local pro-Beijing community organizations. Speaking at its opening ceremony, she waved a Chinese flag.
Sun had also participated in functions with local community organizations that maintain ties to China's consulate general in New York.
In 2017, she traveled to China on a junket organized by the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office, a subsidiary of the United Front Work Department, the CCP's political-influence bureau.
Sun and Hu received millions of dollars in funds, via Hu's China-based businesses. Among the financial and economic benefits they received were "Nanjing-style salted ducks" prepared by a Chinese government official's chef, which were delivered to Sun's parents.
They purchased a $3.6 million house on Long Island, a $1.9 million condominium in Honolulu, and luxury cars, including a 2024 model Ferrari, the indictment said.
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