Linda Sun, a former aide to New York Governor Kathy Hochul, was arrested on Tuesday morning at her Long Island residence. According to a 65-page indictment, she is under investigation for working as an agent for China to receive travel benefits, tickets to events, and so on. She is facing about 10 criminal charges, including money laundering, alien smuggling, and visa fraud.
Prosecutors say that her activities in office were primarily to further the interest of the People’s Republic of China and its Communist Party. For instance, the indictment stated that Linda Sun used her post to facilitate the meetings of Chinese officials with New York state officials on several occasions, sometimes without proper authorization. It also stated that the former aide didn’t extend the same to Taiwanese officials and would often block them from interacting with or receiving support from the U.S. government.
Linda Sun’s husband, Mr. Hu, was also arrested that day and is charged with money laundering. Prosecutors claim that Mr. Hu, who is a businessman, “facilitated the transfer of millions of dollars in kickbacks for personal gain.” Such personal gains included their purchase of luxury cars, a five-bedroom house in Manhasset that cost about $3.6 million, and a condominium in Honolulu with the price tag of $1.9 million.
Their home in Manhasset was previously raided in July by federal investigators during the early hours of that day.
Both Sun, 40, and Hu, 41, have pleaded not guilty to all charges levied against them in a Brooklyn federal court. Their bonds are set at $1.5 million and $500,000 respectively, and they will be appearing in court again on September 25.
Meanwhile, in a statement obtained by CNN, the New York Governor’s press secretary, Avi Small, has said that the former aide “was hired by the Executive Chamber more than a decade ago” and that they “terminated her employment in March 2023 after discovering evidence of misconduct.” Small also said that they were quick to report “her actions to law enforcement and have assisted law enforcement” with their investigations.