NEW YORK — A former New York state government official who worked for former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and current Gov. Kathy Hochul was arrested Tuesday morning at her Long Island home and charged with acting as an undisclosed agent of the Chinese government, prosecutors say.
Linda Sun, 41, who held numerous posts in New York state government before rising to the rank of deputy chief of staff for Hochul, was arrested Tuesday morning along with her husband, 40-year-old Chris Hu.
The FBI had searched the couple’s $3.5 million Manhasset home in July, but declined to release further details at the time.
Sun and Hu are expected to plead guilty when they appear in federal court on Tuesday afternoon.
The charges are related to violations of the Foreign Agents Registration Act and officials say Sun is charged with acting as an undisclosed agent of the People’s Republic of China and the Chinese Communist Party.
“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 further the interests of the Chinese government and the CCP,” stated United States Attorney Breon Peace. “The illicit scheme enriched the defendant’s family to the tune of millions of dollars.”
Prosecutors said Sun, at the request of Chinese officials, blocked representatives of the Taiwanese government from having access to high-level officials in New York state, altered state governmental messaging on issues related to the Chinese government and attempted to facilitate a trip to China for a high-level politician in New York, among other things.
Hu is charged with money laundering conspiracy, conspiracy to commit bank fraud and misuse of means of identification.
Sun worked in state government for about 15 years before she was fired last year from her job as deputy commissioner for strategic business development at the New York State Department of Labor.
She previously served as Hochul’s deputy chief of staff.
A press secretary for the governor released the following statement:
“This individual was hired by the Executive Chamber more than a decade ago. 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.”
Sun and Hu live in a gated community on Long Island called Stone Hill. The couple purchased the house in 2021 but placed it in a trust earlier this year, records show.
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