Linda Sun: Former NY Governor’s Assistant Charged With Acting As Chinese Government Agent

CNN
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A former aide to New York Gov. 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 and conspiring to violate the Foreign Agents Registration Act, visa fraud, alien smuggling and money laundering conspiracy, according to a declassified copy of the indictment.

Her husband and co-defendant, Chris Hu, was also charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering and conspiracy to commit bank fraud, as well as misuse of identification, prosecutors said.

Their home was searched by federal investigators in July, sources said.

According to prosecutors, Sun acted as an “undisclosed agent of the Chinese government while her husband, Hu, facilitated the transfer of millions of dollars in bribes for personal gain.”

CNN has contacted attorneys representing Sun and Hu.

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

In a press release, prosecutors described Sun’s actions to use her influential position in state government to “covertly promote the agendas of the People’s Republic of China and the Chinese Communist Party,” which prosecutors said “directly threatened our country’s national security.”

While working in state government, prosecutors allege that Sun used her position to obtain official New York state proclamations for Chinese government officials without authorization. Prosecutors also allege that she attempted to “facilitate travel” to China for a senior, unnamed New York politician and attempted to arrange meetings between Chinese government delegations and New York government officials.

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

Sun has held several government positions for more than a decade. Public employment records and her LinkedIn profile show positions at several agencies focused on economic development and the labor sector in New York.

Sun and Hu were arrested Tuesday morning at their Long Island residence. The couple are scheduled to appear in court Tuesday afternoon, the U.S. attorney’s office said.

This is a developing story that will be updated.