Former Hochul aide arrested on allegations of being a Chinese agent

A former top aide to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has been arrested on federal charges accusing her of working as an agent for the Chinese Communist Party while laundering millions of dollars for China with the help of her husband.

Linda Sun, who served as deputy chief of staff to Hochul, was arrested at her Long Island home on Tuesday and charged with violating and conspiring to violate the Foreign Agents Registration Act, visa fraud, alien smuggling, and money laundering conspiracy, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office for Eastern New York. 

Sun’s husband, Christopher Hu, was also arrested on charges of money laundering conspiracy and conspiracy to commit bank fraud and misuse of means of identification, the U.S. Attorney’s office said. 

Federal prosecutors allege that 41-year-old Sun, while working in the governor’s office in 2021 and later for other state agencies, was working as an “undisclosed” agent for the Chinese government. 

“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 in a statement. “The illicit scheme enriched the defendant’s family to the tune of millions of dollars.” 

The investigation revealed that Sun altered “high-level New York State officers’ messaging regarding issues of importance to the PRC and the CCP,” obtained “official New York State proclamations for PRC government representatives without proper authorization,” and arranged for meetings “for visiting delegations from the PRC government with New York State government officials.” 

Federal prosecutors allege the couple used the money they laundered to buy a $4.1 million home in Manhasset, Long Island, a $2.1 million condo in Hawaii, expensive automobiles and other luxury items. 

“Sun wielded her position of influence among executives to covertly promote PRC and CCP agendas, directly threatening our country’s national security,” Christie M. Curtis, acting assistant director in charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s New York Field Office, said in a statement. 

Sun held several positions in the New York State government from 2012 until 2023, including deputy chief of staff to Hochul for a year, beginning in September 2021, according to prosecutors.

In a statement, the Hochul administration said it was aware of the allegations and has been working with law enforcement after reporting “evidence of misconduct” during Sun’s tenure in the state government. 

“This individual was hired by the Executive Chamber more than a decade ago,” a Hochul spokesperson said in a statement. “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.”

Sun and her husband were due to be arraigned in the U.S. District Court in Brooklyn Tuesday afternoon.