Former senior aide to Gov. Hochul charged with acting as agent for China
Meghan Hendricks | Senior Staff Photographer
A former senior aide to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul allegedly used funds from China to purchase multiple multi-million dollar homes. The aide, Linda Sun, allegedly did not report her ties with the Chinese government to the state, which her employment required.
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A former senior aide to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul was arrested and charged with acting as an agent for the People’s Republic of China, according to a Tuesday press release from the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York.
The aide, Linda Sun, allegedly accepted financial benefits from China to act in the Chinese government and the Chinese Communist Party’s interests, the release states. While holding high-ranking positions in the New York state government, Sun reportedly conspired with Chinese officials to facilitate access to information from Hochul’s office while limiting access for Taiwanese officials, among other alleged actions.
Sun previously worked for former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, with her career in the state government spanning more than 10 years. Sun and her husband, Chris Hu, face multiple federal criminal charges, including visa fraud, alien smuggling, conspiracy to commit money laundering and violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act.
Sun allegedly used the funds from China to purchase multi-million dollar homes in Long Island, New York and Hawaii, as well as a Ferrari, according to The New York Times. Sun allegedly failed to report her ties with the Chinese government to the state, which her employment required.
A spokesperson for Hochul told The Times that Hochul’s administration had “terminated” Sun’s employment in March 2023 after discovering her ties. Her office has assisted law enforcement with its investigation, per the spokesperson.
Before her termination, Sun had already left Hochul’s executive office in late 2022 and was working in the state’s Department of Labor. After she was terminated in 2023, Sun allegedly continued to attend events where she misrepresented herself as still being in a position with the labor department, The Times reported.
The FBI raided Sun’s house in Long Island about six weeks ago. Sun and Hu were arraigned in federal court in Brooklyn on Tuesday.
This post will be updated with additional reporting.
Published on September 3, 2024 at 7:36 pm
Contact Stephanie: spwright@syr.edu
