Linda Sun, former aide to 2 N.Y. governors, charged with being undisclosed agent of China
NEW YORK - A former aide to New York Governors Kathy Hochul and Andrew Cuomo was arrested by the FBI on Tuesday morning, the FBI said.
Linda Sun, a former deputy chief of staff, was arrested, along with her husband Chris Hu, the FBI said. They're charged with acting as undisclosed agents of the Chinese government and the Chinese Communist Party.
The arrest happened Tuesday morning at their multimillion-dollar home in Manhasset on Long Island.
The indictment is more than 60 pages longs and alleges Sun and her husband gained millions in financial benefits to buy luxury properties and fancy cars.
Sun allegedly kept Taiwanese officials from governor's office
Sun held a lot of different jobs during the 13 years she worked in New York state government. She was supposed to focus on business development and Asian-American affairs. According to federal prosecutors, her real focus was doing the bidding of the Chinese government, including an important mission: Preventing officials from Taiwan from gaining access to the governor's office.
She allegedly received funds for a lavish lifestyle: A multimillion-dollar Manhasset mansion, and a fleet of luxury cars including a Ferrari.
Hu, the owner of a Flushing, Queens liquor store, was also hit with a host of charges, including money laundering and bank fraud.
"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."
The couple's $4.1 million home on the North Shore of Long Island was raided by the FBI six weeks ago. Agents carried out boxes of records. At the time, it was unclear what the feds were looking for. The raid was notable because Sun worked for two New York governors, starting in 2012 with Cuomo and most recently as a deputy chief of staff for Hochul.
The indictment included several pictures of Sun with Chinese officials, including one from 2019 in Beijing celebrating the 70th anniversary of the People's Republic of China.
She is charged with blocking representatives of the Taiwanese government from having access to high-level New York state officials.
"No meeting please," she allegedly wrote to an assemblyman who wanted the governor to meet with Taiwanese officials. "Kindly decline. Do not want her to wade into this China/Taiwan sensitivity."
According to prosecutors, Sun allegedly:
- Forged Hochul's signature on a letter inviting Chinese officials to come to New York, which they used to get visas
- Changed the messages of state officials regarding issues of importance to the Chinese government and Communist party
- Obtained official state proclamations for Chinese officials without proper authorization
- Violated the Foreign Agents Registration Act, which requires individuals to register with the Department of Justice if they are involved in political or advocacy work for a foreign government
"These charges are disappointing. They are the product of an overly aggressive investigation," a defense attorney said.
"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 Press Secretary Avi Small said.
In a statement provided to CBS News Tuesday night, a spokesperson for Cuomo said, "National security is critical and must be free from foreign influence. While Ms Sun was promoted to Deputy Chief of Staff in the subsequent administration, during our time she worked in a handful of agencies and was one of many community liaisons who had little to no interaction with the governor."
In a radio interview Tuesday, Hochul said, "I'm furious and I'm outraged and absolutely shocked at how brazen her behavior was, it was a betrayal of trust."
She added, "The second we discovered some levels of misconduct, we fired her, we alerted the authorities, and hence we ended up with what happened here today."
Read the indictment
Long list of lavish benefits, according to indictment
The five-bedroom Manhasset mansion Sun and Hu lived in was just one of the lavish benefits they reaped, according to prosecutors. Others include:
- A $2.1 million condo in Honolulu
- A 2024 Ferrari
- A 2024 Range Rover
- A 2022 Mercedes
- Tens of thousands of dollars in various bank accounts
They allegedly "laundered millions of dollars for the foreign country and used the monetary benefits of this scheme to buy luxury vehicles and million-dollar properties here in New York," said Thomas M. Fattorusso, special agent in charge of the IRS office in New York.
In addition, according to the indictment:
- The Chinese government footed the bill for trips to China
- They stayed in the same Beijing suite used by former first lady Michelle Obama
- Received tickets to events
- Got a job for Sun's cousin in China
- Backing for various businesses run by Hu, including a venture to import frozen fish to China
- And several instances where a Chinese delicacy - Nanjing-style salted duck - were prepared by the personal chief of a Chinese consulate official and delivered to Sun's parents
The government alleges the couple claimed a total income of $125,000 last year, and that the liquor store made just $9,000 in profits.
Both pled not guilty, posted bond and left court. Conditions on their release on bond required both to surrender their passports. Their travel has been limited to New York, Long Island, Maine and New Hampshire. Sun was also ordered to have no contact with the Chinese government or consulate.