Ex-aide to N.Y. Gov. Kathy Hochul accused of acting as Chinese government agent

Sept. 3 (UPI) -- A former top-level aide to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul was arrested on Tuesday with her husband at their Long Island home on a series of individual allegations of trading connections to act as agents of the Chinese government, court documents show.

Linda Sun, a former deputy chief of staff to Hochul and ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo , was arrested by FBI agents Tuesday morning along with her husband, Chris Hu, 41, at their home on a cul-de-sac on Long Island's North Shore.

Sun, 40, was accused by U.S. prosecutors of abusing her influence while working in the governor's office to shape New York policy toward communist China and neighboring Taiwan, according to the indictment unsealed on Tuesday.

It is alleged that the two have received benefits worth of millions of dollars. Both Sun and Hu have pleaded not guilty.

According to prosecutors, Sun was charged with violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act in addition to visa fraud, money laundering and alien smuggling. Hu, meanwhile, was charged with money laundering, conspiracy to commit bank fraud and misuse of means of identification.

Sun, given a $1.5 million bond in order to be released, cannot have any contact with Chinese officials. Hu, Sun's husband, will be released on a $500,000 bond. The couple will have limited travel confined to the New York City area and their Long Island residence, Maine and New Hampshire.

"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," U.S. Attorney Breon Peace wrote in a news statement .

Weeks ago in July, FBI agents raided Hu and Sun's $3.5 million five-bedroom Manhasset home in the early morning hours, but the cause for investigating any alleged crime was unclear at that time.

Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn asked a judge on Tuesday to unseal the indictment against Sun and Hu, who were in court later in the day. Their arrests were confirmed by federal prosecutors from New York's Eastern District.

"The illicit scheme enriched the defendant's family to the tune of millions of dollars," stated Peace.

Prior to moving over to the state's Labor Department, Sun had worked directly for Hochul's administration for roughly 15 months following Cuomo's 2021 resignation from the governor's office amid allegations of sexual misconduct.

Along with her husband, Sun has been accused by U.S. officials of, among other things, laundering money to buy a $2.1 million condominium in Hawaii along with other luxury goods.

The indictment outlines how Sun allegedly leveraged her state government jobs for her benefit.

"In exchange for these and other acts, the [Chinese] consulate provided Sun and her family with gifts, including tickets to shows, concerts, and events, as well as salted ducks prepared by [a Chinese officials'] personal chef," the indictment read.

It is alleged that Sun used her position to block Taiwan government officials from access to the governor's office, obtained official proclamations for Chinese government officials, made plans to organize a trip to communist China with an unnamed top New York politician, and had attempted to influence how state government officials communicated business on Chinese-related issues as far back as 2016 .

It was further alleged that Sun and Hu were recipients of numerous gifts and benefits by Chinese officials.

It's reported that Hu, Sun's husband, owns multiple businesses, including Leivine Wine & Spirits, a liquor store in Flushing, Queens. He also is head of Medical Supplies USA LLC, a company he founded in the early days of the 2020 pandemic, as well as Golden Capital Group LLC and LCA Holdings LLC.

Initially, officials said said how Sun's arrest was not connected to her past work in the governor's office in the state capital, Albany.

She was in state government for more than 14 years in various roles under past governors before being fired last year from her job at New York's Department of Labor as deputy commissioner for strategic business development. That dismissal came after evidence of misconduct came to light, according to officials.

"This individual was hired by the executive chamber more than a decade ago," according to a statement to ABC News by Hochul's press secretary, Avi Small.

"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.