A former New York state government official who worked for former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and current Gov. Kathy Hochul was charged Tuesday with acting as a secret agent of the Chinese government, federal prosecutors revealed in a sweeping indictment.
Linda Sun, who held numerous posts in New York state government before rising to become Hochul’s deputy chief of staff, was arrested Tuesday morning along with her husband Chris Hu at their $3.5 million home on Long Island.
Sun and Hu are expected to make their first court appearance Tuesday afternoon, a spokesperson for the U.S. attorney’s office in Brooklyn said.
Prosecutors said Sun, at the request of Chinese officials, denied Taiwanese government representatives access to senior officials in New York State, aligned New York government messaging with Chinese government priorities and attempted to to facilitate. to China for a high-level politician in New York, the indictment said. Hu is charged with money laundering conspiracy, conspiracy to commit bank fraud and misuse of identification means.
In return, she and her husband received benefits, including assistance for Hu’s China-based business operations and secret tickets to performances visiting Chinese orchestra and ballet groups, the indictment said. The personal chef of a Chinese government official prepared “Nanjing-style salted ducks,” which were delivered to Sun’s parents’ home, he added.
The couple then laundered the financial proceeds and used them to buy their Manhasset property, a condominium in Hawaii for $1.9 million, and luxury cars, including a 2024 Ferrari, the indictment said.
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“As alleged, while appearing to serve the people of New York as Deputy Chief of Staff within the Executive Chamber of the State of New York, the defendant and her husband actually worked to further the interests of the Chinese government and the CCP,” said United States Attorney Breon. Peace said. “The illegal scheme enriched the defendant’s family to the tune of millions of dollars.”
An attorney for Sun, Seth DuCharme, did not immediately return an email seeking comment.
The FBI searched the couple’s $3.5 million home in Manhasset in late July, but declined to release details at the time.
Sun worked in state government for about 15 years, holding positions in Cuomo’s administration and eventually becoming Hochul’s deputy chief of staff, according to her LinkedIn profile. In November 2022, Sun took a job at the New York Department of Labor as deputy commissioner for strategic business development, but she left that job months later in March 2023, the profile said.
In a statement, a spokesperson for Hochul’s office said the administration fired Sun after “discovering evidence of misconduct.”
“This person was hired by the Executive Chamber over ten years ago. We terminated her employment in March 2023 after discovering evidence of misconduct, immediately reported her actions to law enforcement authorities, and have assisted law enforcement authorities throughout this process,” the statement said.
A spokesperson for Cuomo did not immediately return an emailed request for comment.
Sun and Hu live in a gated community on Long Island called Stone Hill. The couple bought the home in 2021 but placed it in a trust earlier this year, records show.