Alleged Chinese spy Linda Sun pushed the Chinese Communist Party’s agenda in the offices of New York’s governor in exchange for perks like salted ducks and a 2024 Ferrari, prosecutors say.
Alleged Chinese agent Linda Sun was arrested on Tuesday morning
Linda Sun, who served in numerous roles under Governors Andrew Cuomo and Kathy Hochul from 2012 to 2023, was arrested Tuesday morning along with her husband, Chris Hu, at their $4 million mansion on Long Island.
Prosecutors say Sun secretly worked to promote CCP interests in New York, particularly regarding Taiwan, which the CCP considers part of China. She is accused of blocking representatives of the Taiwanese government and even attending a protest against the Taiwanese president in New York in 2018.
In 2020, Sun texted a Chinese official, saying, “I almost had a heart attack when we referred to Taiwan as a country. Fortunately, the press team corrected it immediately.”
Sun pushed the Chinese Communist Party’s agenda in the New York governor’s offices to reap benefits like salted ducks and a 2024 Ferrari, prosecutors say
In 2021, when Cuomo was still governor, Chinese officials asked him for a Lunar New Year video. Sun said Hochul, then lieutenant governor, could probably do it and asked her for “talking points about things you want me to mention.”
“Mainly wishes for vacations and hopes for friendship and cooperation. Nothing too political,” one official told him, according to the indictment.
Sun later told another official that she had argued with Hochul’s speechwriter over the draft because he insisted on mentioning the “Uighur situation” in China. She promised she would not allow that to happen, and the final speech did not mention the Muslim ethnic minority or the persecution they face in China, according to the indictment.
Sun worked in state government for nearly 15 years, first in 2009 as chief of staff to New York State Assembly member Grace Meng, who is now a member of Congress.
She then held positions in former Governor Andrew Cuomo’s administration beginning in 2012, including as New York’s Global Trade Manager, Director of Asian Outreach for the Governor’s Office, and Queens Regional Representative.
In 2018, the Cuomo administration appointed Sun as its chief diversity officer.
In September 2021, she was named deputy chief of staff to Hochul, according to her LinkedIn profile. She remained in the role for about 15 months.
Sun and Hu pleaded not guilty during an initial court appearance Tuesday afternoon in Brooklyn and were released on bail.
Sun is seen at a 2019 protest against the Taiwanese president’s visit to New York, according to prosecutors
In January 2019, Sun wrote to a CCP official: ‘I value my relationship with the consulate very much and have done many things to make the relationship between the state and the consulate flourish during my tenure with (politician redacted).’
“Of course I have succeeded in cutting all relations between TECO (Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office) and the State. I have refused all requests from your office.”
Sun allegedly used the proceeds from his illegal work to purchase the Manhasset home, as well as a $2.1 million condo in Hawaii and luxury vehicles, including a 2024 Ferrari.
He also received small gifts, according to the indictment, including tickets to performances by a visiting Chinese orchestra and ballet groups and “Nanjing-style salted ducks” that were prepared by a Chinese government official’s personal chef and delivered to Sun’s parents’ home in New York.
Sun is also accused of obtaining proclamations and invitations from the governor’s office for Chinese officials without authorization and even attempting to facilitate a trip to China for an unnamed senior New York politician.
In exchange, Sun and her family received significant financial benefits from Chinese officials, including millions of dollars for her husband’s businesses in New York and China, according to the Justice Department.
Sun is shown above being honored at a People’s Republic of China consulate event in an image included in the Justice Department’s indictment.
Sun poses with members of the All-China Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese (ACFROC) in further evidence presented by the US government.
Her husband, Hu, is accused of laundering ill-gotten money through the bank accounts of a close relative.
According to the indictment, Sun and Hu did not obtain mortgage loans for their Long Island or Hawaii homes when they purchased them in 2021 — “and the purchases occurred shortly after HU received a series of wire transfers from a PRC-based account in the business partner’s name totaling more than $2.1 million.”
When a relative messaged Sun expressing concern that people would wonder how he could afford the Long Island mansion, Sun replied: “Mortgage.”
Sun and Hu pleaded not guilty during an initial court appearance Tuesday afternoon in Brooklyn and were released on bail. Sun has been banned from having any contact with the PRC consulate and mission.
His defense attorney, Jarrod Schaeffer, said: “We look forward to addressing these charges in court. Our client is understandably upset by the filing of these charges.”
Pictured is Chris Hu’s liquor store in Queens. Sun and her family received significant financial benefits from Chinese officials, including millions of dollars for her husband’s businesses in New York and China.
In a statement, a spokesperson for Hochul’s office said the administration fired Sun after “uncovering evidence of misconduct.”
“This individual was hired by the Executive Chamber more than a decade ago. We terminated her employment in March 2023 after uncovering evidence of misconduct, promptly reported her actions to law enforcement, and have assisted law enforcement throughout this process,” the statement read.
Cuomo spokesman Rich Azzopardi downplayed Sun’s reach in the former governor’s administration, saying she “worked in a handful of agencies and was one of many community liaisons who had little to no interaction with the governor.”