Linda Sun, former aide to Gov. Hochul, charged with spying for Chinese government. What we know so far.
The 65-page indictment accuses Sun and her husband of leveraging her high-level government positions to benefit the People's Republic of China.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s former deputy chief of staff was charged Tuesday with acting as an “undisclosed agent” of the Chinese government.
FBI agents arrested Linda Sun and her husband, Chris Hu, at their $3.5 million Long Island home. The couple pleaded not guilty at their initial court appearance Tuesday afternoon and were released on bond, the AP reported. Sun is not allowed to contact the People's Republic of China's consulate and mission and both were required to surrender their passports.
Sun's lawyer, Jarrod Schaeffer, told the New York Times that Sun was "understandably upset that these charges have been brought" and looked forward to addressing the indictment in court. A court date has not been set yet.
Federal agents had previously searched the couple’s home back in July but did not explain why at the time. Sun did not immediately respond to Yahoo News’ request for comment.
Here’s what we know so far.
Why was Linda Sun arrested?
Sun is accused of taking actions using her position within the state government to act on behalf of Chinese officials, Brooklyn U.S. Attorney Breon Peace stated in a press release Tuesday.
“As alleged in the indictment, Linda Sun, a former New York State government employee, acted as an undisclosed agent of the Chinese government while her husband, Christopher Hu, facilitated the transfer of millions of dollars in kickbacks for personal gain,” Peace’s statement reads. “Sun wielded her position of influence among executives to covertly promote [People’s Republic of China] and [Chinese Community Party] agendas, directly threatening our country’s national security.”
The unsealed, 65-page indictment alleges that Sun blocked state officials from meeting with Taiwanese government representatives and tampered with statements by Hochul and former Gov. Andrew Cuomo regarding issues important to the Chinese government.
The indictment also outlines several conversations Sun allegedly had with Chinese Consulate officials, including ensuring that no state officials publicly addressed the Uyghurs, a predominantly Muslim ethnic group that's lived in a region in northwestern China for over a thousand years. Human rights groups have accused China of committing genocide against the population for years.
In response to the news, Hochul’s spokesperson told the AP that Sun had been hired “more than a decade ago” and the office had “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.”
In a statement to Yahoo News, Chinese Embassy spokesperson Liu Pengyu said, "In recent years, the U.S. government and media have frequently hyped up the so-called 'Chinese agents' narratives, many of which have later been proven untrue. China requires its citizens overseas to comply with the laws and regulations of the host country, and we firmly oppose the groundlessly slandering and smearing targeting China."
What’s next?
Sun and Hu are currently out on bond after pleading not guilty at the Brooklyn federal court Tuesday afternoon.
Sun is charged with visa fraud and violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act; Hu is charged with conspiring to commit money laundering, conspiracy to commit bank fraud and misuse of identification.
Linda Sun’s work history
Sun spent nearly 14 years working in various state government roles. She was previously the chief of staff to former assemblywoman Grace Meng, now a congresswoman, and also worked on Meng's congressional campaign. A spokesperson for Meng told Yahoo News that Sun worked for the congresswoman "well over a decade ago" and they "don't know anything about the charges other than what is being reported."
Sun had several jobs in both the Hochul and Cuomo administrations, including serving as deputy chief of staff for Hochul until September 2022 before she left for a position in the New York Department of Labor.
Her last role was as a campaign manager for Austin Cheng, who unsuccessfully ran for Congress in New York’s third district in 2023.
