Linda Sun, former aide to Governor Hochul and Governor Cuomo, accused of Chinese agency

A former aide to New York Governor Kathy Hochul was arrested Tuesday on charges she secretly abused her position to support the Chinese government and the Chinese Communist Party while making millions of dollars from her husband’s company exporting lobsters to China.

Linda Sun, 41, and her husband, Christopher Hu, 40, were arrested a month and a half after the FBI raided their Long Island home in late July. Sun is accused of repeatedly acting on behalf of Chinese officials — from blocking state officials from meeting with Taiwanese government officials to fraudulently helping them obtain work visas to tailoring the messaging of Hochul and former Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s offices to align more closely with the Chinese government.

At one point in March 2020, Sun arranged for a Chinese government official to secretly listen in on a conference call between New York state leaders discussing how to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and the rise in hate crimes against Asians, the indictment said.

In return, Sun and Hu enriched themselves “to the tune of millions of dollars” after officials with ties to the Chinese government helped Hu’s seafood business gain a foothold in China, according to Breon Peace, the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York. That money, which prosecutors say never appeared on Sun’s state forms or the couple’s taxes, allegedly helped them buy a 2024 Ferrari, a $3.6 million home in Manhasset and a $1.9 million condo in Honolulu.

Prosecutors also detailed other perks, including tickets to concerts and sporting events, as well as “Nanjing-style salted ducks” prepared by a Chinese government official’s personal chef and sent to Sun’s parents’ home three times.

“Sun used her influential position among senior leaders to covertly promote the agendas of (the People’s Republic of China) and (the Chinese Communist Party), directly threatening our country’s national security,” Peace said in a statement.

Sun is charged with everything from visa fraud to violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act. Hu is charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering and bank fraud.

Both pleaded not guilty during their appearances in federal court in Brooklyn. Sun was released on $1.5 million bail. Hu was given $500,000 bail. Sun was also barred from contacting the Chinese consulate and mission. The Chinese embassy in Washington did not respond to an inquiry.

“We are very confident in our case. Some of the allegations in the indictment are simply inflammatory and astounding,” said Hu’s attorney Seth DuCharme. Sun’s attorney Jarrod Schaeffer said they are seeking a speedy trial.

Sun served as Hochul’s deputy chief of staff in 2021 and 2022 before becoming deputy commissioner at the State Department of Labor.

Hochul said in an interview with WNYC Tuesday afternoon that her office fired Sun last year after finding evidence of misconduct and reporting her to police.

“I’m outraged and outraged and absolutely shocked at how brazen her behavior was,” Hochul told WNYC’s Sean Carlson. “It was a betrayal of trust: the trust of the government, the trust of the people.”

Hochul declined to comment on the misconduct discovered, but said it would come to light during Sun’s trial.

Before joining Hochul’s administration, Sun served in a number of positions in Cuomo’s administration, including a senior position at the state Department of Economic Development, where she was responsible for organizing international trade missions, according to her LinkedIn account.

Sun’s alleged influence campaign lasted from 2015 through 2023. The indictment alleges that she communicated regularly with Chinese government officials about her efforts to promote China’s reputation in New York state.

Her work often meant that neither Cuomo nor Hochul’s offices recognized Taiwan as an official country. The People’s Republic of China has not recognized Taiwan’s government in decades and refuses to have diplomatic relations with countries that do.

At times, Sun even went so far as to restrict contact between senior state officials and Taiwanese representatives, and he also passed this on to Chinese officials.

When the Taiwanese government donated 200,000 masks to New York in April 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, Sun reportedly made sure Cuomo’s office did not publicly acknowledge the donation and kept a Chinese official in the loop. At another point, she admitted she nearly had a “heart attack” when a Cuomo press release named Taiwan as a country — which she promptly had removed.

“I have definitely managed to end all relations between the (Taiwan Economic and Cultural Office) and the state,” Sun wrote to a Chinese official in 2019, according to the indictment. “I have rejected all (r)e requests from their office.”

“I know and appreciate your help,” the official responded. “As we now work in the political section, you are the main hub connecting us to (Cuomo) and his team.”

In early 2021, Sun arranged for Hochul, then lieutenant governor, to record a Chinese New Year message for the Chinese consul general’s office. When Sun sent the official the video — which featured a festive backdrop of traditional Chinese imagery and music — she noted that she had blocked a speechwriter’s attempt to include a reference to Uighurs held in state-run camps in China.

Sun is also alleged to have sent fraudulent invitation letters from the governor’s office to Chinese officials, allowing them to obtain work visas to travel to the U.S.

Meanwhile, a duo with ties to the Chinese government — identified in the indictment as Accomplice 1 and Accomplice 2 — helped Hu overcome international obstacles to set up his seafood export business in mainland China, the indictment said.

Hu’s company, Foodie Fisherman LLC, sought to export lobsters to China’s Henan province in 2016. The help paid off, and Hu’s companies ultimately made millions of dollars, which prosecutors say he laundered to the U.S. without reporting it on his tax returns.

As a result, Sun and Hu moved from Forest Hills, Queens to Manhasset after purchasing a multimillion-dollar home in an exclusive North Shore neighborhood in 2021. That same year, they also bought the 47th-floor apartment of a Honolulu skyscraper.

Sun failed to report the payments on her state-mandated disclosure forms, which she must file every year. She also failed to list gifts she received from Chinese government officials, such as trips and the salted ducks. In 2020, she reported that Hu received no more than $150,000 from Foodie Fisherman — the most she reported on any of the annual forms.

This story has been updated with comments from Gov. Kathy Hochul.

Catalina Gonella contributed to the reporting.