A former deputy chief of staff to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul was charged Tuesday with acting as an undisclosed agent of the Chinese government, federal prosecutors revealed in a sprawling indictment.
Linda Sun, 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, Chris Hu, at their $3.5 million home on Long Island.
Sun and Hu, are expected to make an initial court appearance Tuesday afternoon, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office in Brooklyn said.
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.
“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,” United States Attorney Breon Peace said. “The illicit scheme enriched the defendant’s family to the tune of millions of dollars.”
A lawyer for Sun, Seth DuCharme, did not immediately return an email seeking comment.
The FBI searched the couple's $3.5 million home in Manhasset late July but declined to release further details at the time.
Sun worked in state government for about 15 years, holding posts in the administration of former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and eventually becoming Hochul's deputy chief of staff, according to her LinkedIn profile.
In November 2022, Sun took a job at the New York Department of Labor, as deputy commissioner for strategic business development, but she left that job months later in March 2023, the profile said.
In a statement, a spokesperson for Hochul's office said the administration fired Sun after “discovering evidence of misconduct."
“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," the statement reads.
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.