Linda Sun, the former top aide to New York Governor Kathy Hochul, has been arrested for allegedly being an undisclosed agent of China and the Chinese Communist Party. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York announced the charges for Sun and her husband, Christopher Hu, on Tuesday, September 3. Considering that Sun has served in various state offices since 2009, her arrest comes as a shock. Here’s what we know so far about who Linda Sun is and the charges held against her.
What is Linda Sun and Chris Hu arrested for?
Linda Sun has been arrested under charges for allegedly violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act, visa fraud, money laundering, and alien smuggling. Chris Hu has also been charged for alleged money laundering, in addition to bank fraud and misusing means of identification.
FBI Acting Assistant Director Christie Curtis says that Sun, the 41-year-old former deputy chief of staff for New York, “acted as an undisclosed agent of the Chinese government” and used her influence “to covertly promote PRC and CCP agendas.” This includes blocking Taiwanese government officials from accessing high-level New York State officers and changing official messaging when it comes to the PRC and CCP.
According to IRS agent Thomas M. Fattorusso, Sun and her husband laundered millions of dollars for China and used a large portion of the money on purchasing luxury cars, including a 2024 Ferrari, and several real estate properties. This includes a $4.1 million home in Manhasset, New York and a $2.1 million condo in Honolulu, Hawaii.
It is alleged that they also received “substantial” benefits from the PRC and CCP, including travel benefits, event tickets, business promotion for a family friend, and employment for Sun’s cousin in the PRC.
Sun has had “15 years of extensive experience” at various roles in New York’s government, as noted in her LinkedIn profile. In 2009 she was hired as chief of staff for Representative Grace Meng, and in 2012 she was the director of Asian American affairs for the administration of former Governor Andrew Cuomo. In 2018 she was a chief diversity officer in the Cuomo administration and then received a post in the Department of Financial Services. Sun served a year as Hochul’s deputy chief of staff before becoming a deputy commissioner for strategic business in the Department of Labor. Her employment was terminated in March 2023.
In her profile on X (formerly Twitter), she was “proud to work” for Hochul in a post in May 2022 and thanked her for a “historic investment to the Asian American community” in February 2022.
