A former aide to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul who has been accused of being an agent of Beijing previously served as head of the state’s DEI.
Linda Sun, 41, was arrested Tuesday at her Long Island mansion and is accused of enriching herself and her family by acting as an unidentified agent of the Chinese Communist Party. She was released the same day on $1.5 million bail after pleading not guilty.
Her husband was released on $500,000 bail.
Sun worked in state government for nearly 15 years, holding several positions in Andrew Cuomo’s administration, including diversity director in 2018, before working for Hochul.
In 2021, years before her arrest, Sun used her role as Hochul’s deputy chief of staff to speak out about the importance of diversity and inclusion efforts in the governor’s office.
“When people talk about diversity and inclusion, I think everyone agrees – or most people generally agree – that it’s a good thing… I think right now we also need to introduce the word equity,” Sun said at a panel of Asian women in government leadership.
Linda Sun, a former aide to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul who has been accused of being an agent of Beijing, previously served as head of DEI for the state.
‘Equity is when we make sure that everyone at the table has equal access to ensure that their ideas and thoughts are heard, and unfortunately… we don’t have that much leadership or representation of Asian Americans in the corporate world (or) in the government realm.’
Sun then expanded her resume, stating that she served as deputy chief diversity officer for New York State and then as chief diversity officer for the Department of Financial Services.
Sun spoke of creating a program during her time in the governor’s office called ‘Adapt,’ which aimed to ensure every state agency hired someone to promote equity and inclusion.
“That means when you’re hiring, if there are ten candidates, there’s someone who says, ‘Well, where’s the diverse candidate?'” Sun explained.
“You can’t come to me and say, ‘Oh, all ten candidates have the same background and are all of the same ethnicity.'”
“There have to be ways to bring diverse candidates to the table. If there are ten candidates, there should be at least five people in that group who are also diverse candidates.”
Sun is seen at a 2019 protest against the Taiwanese president’s visit to New York, according to prosecutors
The couple’s five-bedroom mansion, valued at $3.50, was searched by federal officials in July.
There was no sign of the Ferrari that prosecutors say Sun purchased at the home on Tuesday.
Sun is accused of preventing Taiwanese government representatives from accessing high-level New York state officials and changing the message on issues involving the CCP.
Prosecutors say he used the proceeds from his illegal work to buy the Manhasset home, as well as a $2.1 million condominium in Hawaii and luxury vehicles, including a 2024 Ferrari.
Sun and her husband are also accused of laundering the proceeds of their illegal activities. Hu is also charged with conspiracy to commit bank fraud and misuse of identification means.
A 63-page indictment alleges that Sun “repeatedly violated internal rules and protocols” of the New York governor’s office to “provide improper benefits” to China and the Communist Party, according to the Justice Department.
US Attorney Breon Peace said: ‘As alleged, while appearing to serve the people of New York as deputy chief of staff within the New York State Executive Chamber, the defendant and her husband actually worked to advance the interests of the Chinese government and the CCP.
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.
“The illicit scheme enriched the defendant’s family by millions of dollars. Our Office will act decisively to prosecute those who act as undisclosed agents of a foreign government.”
Sun allegedly received benefits that included assistance with Hu’s business activities in China and undisclosed admission fees to performances by visiting Chinese orchestras and ballet groups, the indictment says.
The personal chef of a Chinese government official prepared “Nanjing-style salted ducks” that were delivered to Sun’s parents’ home, it added.
The couple purchased the home in a gated community called Stone Hill in 2021. Earlier this year, they placed the home in a trust, records show.
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.
Sun 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.
In September 2021, Sun was appointed Deputy Chief of Staff to Governor Hochul.
Sun held positions in former Governor Andrew Cuomo’s administration, including Global Trade Manager for New York, Director of Asian Outreach for the Governor’s Office, and Regional Representative for Queens.
In November 2022, she moved to the New York Department of Labor, where she served as deputy commissioner for strategic business development, but left that job just a few months later in March 2023, according to the profile.
A person familiar with the circumstances of her departure told the Associated Press that she was fired after evidence of misconduct was uncovered.
The matter was referred to authorities at the time, according to the person, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because he or she was not authorized to speak publicly about personnel matters. The person declined to elaborate on the nature of the alleged misconduct.
After leaving state government, Sun began working as a campaign manager for Democrat Austin Cheng in an unsuccessful congressional campaign on Long Island.
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.
