A former aide to two New York governors has been charged in a federal court with acting as an undisclosed agent of the People’s Republic of China(PRC) and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
According to the US Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of New York, the aide worked with her husband to further the interests of the CCP in schemes that enriched her family with millions of dollars.
Aide Arrested
A statement released on the Justice Department’s website said that the aide, Linda Sun, and her husband, Chris Hu, were arrested on the morning of September 3 in connection with the indictment allegations.
The pair were arrested at a $4 million home located in Long Island, New York.
The Charges
Sun was arrested with multiple charges, including: conspiring and violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act, visa fraud, alien smuggling, and money laundering conspiracy.
Her husband was charged with “money laundering conspiracy, as well as conspiracy to commit bank fraud and misuse of means of identification.”
Attorney Statement
US Attorney Breon Peace released a statement going over the allegations found in the indictment of the New York aide.
“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,” said Peace. “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.”
Undisclosed Agent
Thomas M. Fattorusso, Special Agent in Charge of IRS CI New York, described how allegedly the aide and her husband would launder money into the US and use positioning in the New York government to benefit the PRC and CCP.
“Sun is alleged to be an undisclosed agent of the PRC and CCP, using Chinese money and her influence within the state of New York to benefit the Chinese government. Sun and her husband then laundered millions of dollars for the foreign country and used the monetary benefits of this scheme to buy luxury vehicles and million dollars properties here in New York,” said Fattorusso. “It is with the unwavering determination of federal law enforcement to root-out foreign agents and their schemes that Sun and Hu will now face justice for their criminal acts.”
Who Was the Aide?
Linda Sun, the aide charged with acting as an illegal agent of the Chinese Government, worked and held numerous positions within New York’s Government.
She worked as deputy chief of staff under current Governor Kathy Hochul, and deputy diversity officer for former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.
How Did She Benefit China?
According to federal prosecutors, Sun would take requests from Chinese officials to block Taiwanese government representatives from having access to the New York governor’s office.
She would also allegedly help shape the messaging of New York’s government to better align with CCP priorities.
Concealing Agent Status
According to the indictment, Sun never registered as a foreign agent with the Attorney General and took efforts to conceal positive actions she took on behalf of the PRC and CCP.
She would allegedly use her position to send unauthorized invitation letters to PRC government delegates, which prosecutors say were connected to false statements made on immigration documents allowing foreign citizens to unlawfully enter the country.
What Rewards Did She Get?
Allegedly, Sun would get rewarded for her actions that benefit the Chinese government.
Her husband would get help for his business activities in China, which allowed the couple to buy a multi-million dollar property, a $1.9 million condo in Hawaii, and luxury cars that included a 2024 Ferrari.
Corrupting Our Political Process
Assistant Director Kevin Vorndran of the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division released a statement saying this case emphasized the continuing problem of the Chinese government trying to use its influence to corrupt United States politics.
“These indictments demonstrate, yet again, the brazen attempts of the PRC to corrupt our political processes,” said Vorndran. “As alleged in the indictment, Linda Sun and Chris Hu deceived the highest leadership of New York government to further the political agenda of the Government of China. The FBI, along with our partners, remain committed to protection our democratic institutions from the manipulation of the PRC.”
Innocent Until Proven Guilty
The FBI is tasked with investigating the case with the help of the IRS-CI, the IRS’ criminal investigation arm. In a statement released by the IRS, they iterated that defendants are innocent until proven guilty.
“An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.” the IRS statement said.
Conviction Rate
The IRS also emphasized that once the IRS-CI gets involved, it has a high rate of conviction and success.
“CI special agents are the only federal law enforcement agents with investigative jurisdiction over violations of the Internal Revenue Code, obtaining a more than a 90 percent federal conviction rate. The agency has 20 field offices located across the U.S. and 12 attaché posts abroad,” said the IRS.
