Former top aide to New York Gov. Hochul charged with acting as foreign agent for China

A former top aide to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul was arrested Tuesday on federal criminal charges accusing her of acting as an undisclosed agent of China and the Chinese Communist Party, and of laundering millions of dollars for China.

Linda Sun, who had been deputy chief of staff to Hochul for a year in addition to holding other state government positions, is charged with violating and conspiring to violate the Foreign Agents Registration Act, visa fraud, alien smuggling, and money laundering conspiracy.

Sun's husband, 40-year-old businessman Chris Hu, also was arrested on charges of money laundering conspiracy, as well as conspiracy to commit bank fraud and misuse of means of identification.

The couple, who were arrested by FBI agents at their home on Long Island, appeared Tuesday afternoon in U.S. District Court in Brooklyn, New York, where they both pleaded not guilty.

Sun was released on a $1.5 million bond, and Hu was released on a $500,000 bond. Sun also was ordered not to have any contact with the consulate and mission of the People's Republic of China.

Prosecutors say the couple laundered the proceeds of their alleged scheme to buy a $4.1 million home in Manhasset, Long Island, a $2.1 million condominium in Honolulu and luxury automobiles that include at 2024 Ferrari.

An indictment unsealed Tuesday alleges that the 41-year-old Sun, while working in the governor's office under Hochul and former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, and in multiple state agencies, also acted as an undisclosed agent for the People's Republic of China, where she was born.

The indictment says that while "acting at the request of PRC government officials and the [Communist Party of China] representative, Sun engaged in numerous political activities in the interests of the PRC and the CCP."

Those activities included "blocking representatives of the Taiwanese government from having access to" the New York governor's office, changing Hochul's and another politician's messaging regarding issues important to China and the CCP, obtaining official proclamations from the governor for PRC representatives, and trying to facilitate a trip by Hochul to China, the indictment alleges.

She also allegedly arranged "for meetings for visiting delegations from the PRC government with New York State government officials."

Prosecutors said that in return for those and other actions, Sun "received substantial economic and other benefits" from the Chinese government and the Communist Party.

Those included "the facilitation of millions of dollars in transactions for the PRC-based business activities of Hu," the press release said.

Sun also received tickets to events, "promotion of a close family friend's business; employment for Sun's cousin in the PRC; and Nanjing-style salted ducks prepared by a PRC government official's personal chef that were delivered to the residence of Sun's parents," the release said.

Lawyers for Sun and Hu did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the indictment.

Hochul's press secretary, Avi Small, in a statement to WNBC News 4 about Sun said, "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," Small said.

Sun was working for the state Labor Department at the time she was fired.

According to the indictment, Sun held a series of positions within New York state government from 2012 until 2023, including deputy chief of staff to Hochul for a year, beginning in September 2021.