Gov. Hochul’s former aide Linda Sun arrested
A former aide to Gov. Hochul and Andrew Cuomo has been arrested and now faces federal charges of acting as an agent for the Chinese government. Linda Sun and her husband were taken into custody at their Long Island home Tuesday morning. FOX 5 NY’s Linda Schmidt breaks down what they are accused of.
NEW YORK – Linda Sun, a former deputy chief of staff to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, was charged with acting as an undisclosed agent for the People’s Republic of China and the Chinese Communist Party, according to an indictment.
Officials accuse Linda Sun and her husband, Chris Hu, of conspiring to launder money for personal gain and the Chinese government.
“The defendant and her husband actually worked to further the interests of the Chinese government and the CCP,” United States Attorney Breon Peace says. “The illicit scheme enriched the defendant’s family to the tune of millions of dollars. Our Office will act decisively to prosecute those who serve as undisclosed agents of a foreign government.”
FBI agents arrested both Sun and Hu Tuesday morning.
The indictment alleges that Sun 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.
This comes months after FBI agents searched their Long Island home earlier this summer, officials said.
FBI agents searched Linda Sun’s Long Island home in July.
The charges against Linda Sun and her husband, Chris Hu, remain sealed, but the pair are expected to make an initial court appearance Tuesday afternoon, according to a spokesman for the U.S. attorney’s office in Brooklyn.
FBI agents searched Linda Sun’s Long Island home in July.
The FBI searched the couple’s $3.5 million home in Manhasset in late July but declined to release further details at the time.
Who is Linda Sun?
Courtesy: @LindaSun84 on X.
Sun worked in state government for about 15 years, holding posts in the administration of former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and eventually becoming Hochul’s deputy chief of staff, according to her LinkedIn profile.
In November 2022, she worked as deputy commissioner for strategic business development at the New York Department of Labor, but left 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 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,” the statement reads.
Sun and Hu live in a gated community in Stone Hill on Long Island.
The couple purchased the house in 2021 but placed it in a trust earlier this year, records show.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
