A former aide to Gov. Kathy Hochul was arrested Tuesday morning on charges her family pocketed millions of dollars while she secretly used her position to boost the Chinese government and Communist Party.
Linda Sun, 41, and her husband, Christopher Hu, 40, were taken into custody a month and a half after the FBI searched their home in the Long Island hamlet of Manhasset in late July. Sun is accused of repeatedly taking action on behalf of Chinese officials — doing everything from blocking state officials from meeting with Taiwanese government representatives to changing messaging by Hochul and former Gov. Andrew Cuomo to more closely align with the Chinese government.
In exchange, Sun and Hu enriched themselves “to the tune of millions of dollars,” according to Brooklyn U.S. Attorney Breon Peace. Authorities allege that money helped them buy their $3.6 million home in the Long Island hamlet of Manhasset, as well as a $2.1 million condo in Honolulu.
Prosecutors detailed other alleged perks, including “Nanjing-style salted ducks,” prepared by the personal chef of a Chinese government official and sent to Sun’s parents’ home.
“Sun wielded her position of influence among executives to covertly promote PRC [People’s Republic of China] and CCP [Chinese Communist Party] agendas, directly threatening our country’s national security,” Peace said in a statement.
Sun’s attorney did not respond to an inquiry.
Sun and Hu are scheduled to be presented in Brooklyn federal court Tuesday afternoon, with Sun facing charges ranging from visa fraud to violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act. Hu is charged with conspiring to commit money laundering and bank fraud.
Sun was Hochul’s deputy chief of staff in 2021 and 2022 before serving as deputy commissioner at the state Department of Labor. In a statement Tuesday, Hochul spokesperson Avi Small said the governor’s administration fired Sun in March 2023.
“We terminated her employment in March 2023 after discovering evidence of misconduct, immediately reported her actions to law enforcement and have assisted law enforcement throughout this process,” Small said.
The arrests were first reported by Newsday.
Prior to her roles in the Hochul administration, Sun served a number of roles in the Cuomo administration, including a high-ranking post in the state’s economic development branch that involved organizing international trade missions, according to her LinkedIn account.
Sun also once served as chief of staff to then-Assemblymember Grace Meng, who is now in Congress.
Hu has registered a handful of businesses at the couple’s current and prior addresses. On her most recent state financial disclosure forms, Sun said Hu was the CEO of Foodie Fisherman LLC, a seafood merchant that specializes in importing and exporting. In 2016, Hu was part of a delegation that met with representatives of the Chinese government in Massachusetts, the Gloucester Times reported at the time.
Prior to that, they lived in Queens, most recently in Forest Hills.
This story has been updated to reflect details from the indictment.