Linda Sun, former Kathy Hochul aide, accused of scheming to advance interests of China
Linda Sun, a former aide to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, schemed to advance the interests of China while working in New York State government, federal prosecutors alleged in an indictment unsealed Tuesday.
The indictment charges Sun with failure to register as a foreign agent, visa fraud, alien smuggling and money laundering conspiracy.
Her husband, Christopher Hu, allegedly facilitated the transfer of millions of dollars in kickbacks for personal gain, prosecutors said.
Sun and Hu each pleaded not guilty during their arraignment in Brooklyn federal court Tuesday afternoon. Sun appeared in a black pantsuit with a red blouse, while her husband appeared in slacks and a pale dress shirt.
While working for the Cuomo and Hochul administrations, Sun allegedly acted as an unregistered agent of China while her husband allegedly laundered the proceeds, enabling them to buy a $3.6 million house in Manhasset and a $1.9 million condo in Hawaii, prosecutors said.
Sun allegedly blocked Taiwan representatives from access to the governor, worked to prevent meetings with Taiwanese officials and sought to "shape the public statements" the governor made on China, prosecutors said.
"This is no ordinary financial fraud," Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander Solomon said during the arraignment.
Prosecutors said Sun and Hu operated more than 80 different accounts and most of the evidence is in Chinese, including a WeChat message in which Sun is quoted telling a Chinese official, "I have done many things to make the relationship ... flourish."
Sun was released on a $1.5 million bond, and her husband was released on a $500,000 bond. Under the terms of her release, Sun is not to have any contact with the Chinese consulate. Their next court appearance has been scheduled for Sept. 25.
In a statement to ABC News on Tuesday night, attorneys for Sun called the charges "inflammatory."
"We are disappointed by the filing of these charges, which are inflammatory and appear to be the product of an overly aggressive prosecution," the statement from her attorneys, Jarrod Schaeffer and Ken Abell, read. "We are also troubled by aspects of the government’s investigation. As we said today in court, our client is eager to exercise her right to a speedy trial and to defend against these accusations in the proper forum—a court of law.”
Sun and her husband were arrested at their Long Island home Tuesday morning, according to federal prosecutors from the Eastern District of New York and the FBI. The FBI had searched the Manhasset home in July.
Sun was hired by the Executive Chamber more than a decade ago, before being fired last year, according to Avi Small, Hochul's press secretary.
"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 in a statement to ABC News.
While Cuomo was in office, his rep told ABC News that Sun had "little to no interaction with the governor."
"National security is critical and must be free from foreign influence," read a statement from Rich Azzopardi, who reps Cuomo. "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."
Sun worked in state government for about 15 years before she was fired last year from her job as deputy commissioner for strategic business development at the New York State Department of Labor. She previously served as Hochul's deputy chief of staff and in the administration of former Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
The indictment alleges that, acting at the request of Chinese government officials and representatives of the Chinese Communist Party, Sun blocked Taiwanese government officials from having access to high-level New York State officers, changed New York State officers' messaging about China and arranged meetings for visiting delegations from the PRC government with New York State government officials.
In return for these and other actions, Sun allegedly received economic and other benefits from China, including the facilitation of millions of dollars in transactions for the China-based business activities of Hu; travel benefits; tickets to events; promotion of a close family friend's business; employment for Sun's cousin in the PRC; and Nanjing-style salted ducks prepared by a PRC government official's personal chef that were delivered to the residence of Sun's parents, according to the indictment.
"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," United States Attorney Breon Peace said in a statement. "The illicit scheme enriched the defendant's family to the tune of millions of dollars."
A "furious" Gov Hochul called the allegations against Sun "brazen," "shocking" and "a betrayal of trust" during an appearance on WNYC.
"The scope of what she was capable of doing was shocking. I’m furious, outraged by this behavior and we will let the process play out," Hochul said.
Hochul declined to reveal the nature of her actions, saying, "It will be coming out in court hearings." She said her administration reported the misconduct to the Justice Department.
"She primarily worked for Andrew Cuomo for many more years. She was with me just a short time, about 15 months,” Hochul said.
