The FBI has arrested the former deputy chief of staff of New York Governor Kathy Hochul and her husband following a raid at their home.
Linda Sun, 41, and her husband Chris Hu, 40, were taking into custody on Tuesday in Manhasset, Long Island, after their $4.1m five-bedroom mansion was searched in July by federal officials.
She is accused of enriching herself and her family by acting as an undisclosed agent of the Chinese Communist Party, federal prosecutors revealed in a sprawling indictment.
Sun is charged with blocking representatives of the Taiwanese government from having access to high-level New York State officers and changing messaging on issues that involved the CCP.
Prosecutors claim she used the proceeds of her illegal work to buy the Manhasset home as well as a $2.1 million condo in Hawaii and luxury vehicles including a 2024 Ferrari.
Linda Sun and her husband Chris Hu were taking into custody on Tuesday in Manhasset
The couple’s $3.5 five-bedroom mansion was searched in July by federal officials
Sun and her husband are also charged with laundering the proceeds of their illegal activities. Hu is also charged with conspiracy to commit bank fraud and misuse of means of identification.
The couple is expected to appear in Brooklyn court on Tuesday afternoon.
A 63-page indictment alleges that Sun ‘repeatedly violated internal rules and protocols’ of the NY governor’s office to ‘provide improper benefits’ to China and the Communist Party, according to the Department of Justice.
US attorney Breon Peace said: ‘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.
‘The illicit scheme enriched the defendant’s family to the tune of millions of dollars. Our Office will act decisively to prosecute those who serve as undisclosed agents of a foreign government.’
The couple purchased the home in a gated community called Stone Hill in 2021. Earlier this year, they placed the home in a trust, records show.
Sun worked in state government for almost 15 years, first as the chief of staff for New York State Assembly member Grace Meng.
Sun then held posts in the administration of former Governor Andrew Cuomo including as Global New York Trade Manager, Asian Outreach Director for the Office of the Governor and Queens Regional Representative.
In September 2021 she was appointed as the deputy chief of staff for Hochul, according to her LinkedIn profile. She remained on the role for about 15 months.
In September 2021, Sun was appointed as the deputy chief of staff for governor Hochul
In November of 2022 she moved to a job at the New York Department of Labor, where she served as deputy commissioner for strategic business development, but she departed that job just months later in March of 2023, the profile said.
A person familiar with the circumstances of her departure told the Associated Press she was fired after evidence of misconduct was discovered.
The matter was forwarded to law enforcement at the time, according to the person, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss personnel matters. The person declined to detail the nature of the alleged misconduct.
After leaving state government, Sun went to work as campaign manager for Democrat Austin Cheng in an unsuccessful run for Congress on Long Island.
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.