Federal prosecutors say a New York state official who worked for Gov. Kathy Hochul and former Gov. Andrew Cuomo was secretly an agent for the Chinese government — and made millions of dollars through the scheme.
The 66-page indictment of former aide Linda Sun and her husband, Christopher Hu, lays out a tale of lavish spending on things like a 2024 Ferrari and a $3.6 million home on Long Island, all fueled by a business deal tied to exporting lobsters.
Both Sun and Hu pleaded not guilty in Brooklyn federal court Tuesday.
Here’s what to know about the indictment.
Prosecutors say Sun got rich off the scheme. Really rich.
Linda Sun made $144,000 as a state government worker in 2021. Hu made hardly any money at all — less than $1,000 — exporting seafood that year, according to Sun’s financial disclosure form.
So how did they buy a $3.6 million home in Manhasset and a $1.9 million condo in Honolulu that year? And then a 2024 Ferrari a few years later?
Federal prosecutors claim it was all from an alleged scheme where Sun boosted the Chinese government and Communist party’s views in New York government. In exchange, they said co-conspirators with ties to the Chinese government helped Hu’s business get a foothold exporting lobsters to China. The business allegedly earned the couple big bucks.
The feds didn’t put a specific dollar figure on the amount the couple made from the alleged scheme. But Brooklyn U.S. Attorney Breon Peace put it in the “millions of dollars.”
Those sums never showed up on Linda Sun’s disclosure forms, which she was required to fill out each year as a gubernatorial appointee. Nor did it show up on the couple’s taxes, according to the federal indictment.
The feds say they’ve already seized three vehicles from Sun and Hu — a 2024 Ferrari Roma, a 2024 Range Rover and a 2022 Mercedes GLB 250. If Sun and Hu are convicted, they may have to forfeit the vehicles — along with the Manhasset home, the Honolulu condo and a co-op in Forest Hills, according to the indictment.
Sun was focused on pro-China messaging, prosecutors say
It was early 2021 and a Chinese government official asked Sun if then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo would make a video marking the Lunar New Year.
Sun said it’s more likely Kathy Hochul, then the lieutenant governor, could do it.
Hochul did end up recording a brief, innocuous video wishing the Chinese people a happy Lunar New Year. The Chinese consul general in New York posted it on Facebook.
But it’s what wasn’t said in the video that drew prosecutors’ attention.
In emails to the Chinese official included in the indictment, Sun said she blocked a speechwriter’s attempt to include a reference to the Chinese government’s treatment of Uyghur people, which is the subject of widespread human-rights complaints.
“Sun promised that she would figure out how to remedy the situation the following day, adding that she could not let [Hochul] mention the situation,” the indictment reads.
There were other alleged perks, too
The indictment claims Sun and Hu got more than just money.
Federal prosecutors claim the People’s Republic of China consulate and officials gifted Sun and her family things like tickets to the Chinese National Traditional Orchestra’s concert at Carnegie Hall in 2015 and the Guangzhou Ballet’s performance at Lincoln Center in 2019. There were tickets to other concerts and sporting events, as well.
Then, there were the ducks.
On four occasions, a Chinese government official sent Nanjing-style salted ducks to the home of Linda Sun’s parents. They were prepared by the official’s personal chef, according to the indictment.
Salted duck is a popular dish, known for its tender, flavorful meat and crisp skin.
Taiwan was a sore spot
Emails suggest Sun was heavily focused on limiting Hochul and Cuomo’s interactions with Taiwanese officials. China doesn’t recognize the legitimacy of Taiwan’s government. Other nations’ dealings with Taiwan have long been a diplomatic sore spot for China.
At one point, when the Taiwanese government sent New York hundreds of thousands of masks during the COVID pandemic, Sun allegedly told a Chinese official that Cuomo wouldn’t be issuing a public thank you.
Linda Sun and her husband, Christopher Hu (left), leave Brooklyn federal court.
Catalina Gonella
“Taipei economic and cultural office donated 200,000 surgical masks,” Sun wrote, according to the indictment. “No formal acknowledgment but I will be arranging for [Hochul] to call their office to thank them. Just wanted to update you.”
At another point, Sun allegedly emailed a different Chinese official.
“A few weeks [ago] when we released a press release for international travel — I almost had a heart attack when we referred to Taiwan as a country,” Sun wrote. “Thankfully I had the press team correct it immediately.”
Sun, Hu pleaded not guilty
Both Sun and Hu entered not guilty pleas in Brooklyn federal court Tuesday afternoon.
“We have a lot of confidence in our case,” said Seth DuCharme, Hu’s attorney. “A number of the allegations in the indictment are frankly inflammatory, perplexing. We’ve asked for a speedy trial.”
Jarrod Schaeffer, Sun’s attorney, told reporters he’s also looking to take the case to trial quickly.
“We will address these accusations in the room where it’s most appropriate, which is in court,” he said.
Sun was released on a $1.5 million bond, while Hu was released on $500,000 bond, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Hochul said in an interview on WNYC’s “All Things Considered” that she was “furious” and that the allegations represented “a betrayal” both of the government and its citizens.