The former deputy chief of staff for Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-N.Y.) was arrested on Tuesday and charged with acting as a foreign agent for China.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office Eastern District of New York published a press release on Tuesday, explaining that law enforcement officials had arrested 40-year-old Linda Sun and her husband, 41-year-old Chris Hu, on Tuesday morning following the FBI’s recent raid on the former Hochul aide’s home on Long Island.
According to Tuesday’s press release, Sun has been charged with violating and conspiring to violate the Foreign Agents Registration Act, money laundering conspiracy, visa fraud, and alien smuggling. The press release noted that Sun also allegedly acted on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party and the Chinese government.
“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 stated in Tuesday’s press release. “The illicit scheme enriched the defendant’s family to the tune of millions of dollars.”
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FBI Acting Assistant Director Christie Curtis explained that Sun allegedly “acted as an undisclosed agent of the Chinese government while her husband, Christopher Hu, facilitated the transfer of millions of dollars in kickbacks for personal gain.” Curtis added that Sun used her position as a top aide to New York’s governor to “covertly promote PRC and CCP agendas” that directly threaten U.S. national security.
Thomas Fattorusso, the special agent in charge of the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation in New York, said that while working as an “undisclosed agent of the PRC and CCP,” Sun allegedly combined Chinese money and her influence in New York to “benefit” China’s government. Additionally, Fattorusso said Sun and Hu laundered millions of dollars and later purchased luxury vehicles and expensive properties in New York.
In a statement obtained by Fox News after Monday’s charges were revealed, a spokesperson for Hochul’s office 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.”
