Linda Sun Indictment Over Being Undisclosed Agent for China: Five Key Takeaways

A former chief aide of New York Governor Kathy Hochul has been indicted on charges of spying for the Chinese government.
Prosecutors said Linda Sun, who was born in China, influenced New York politics at the highest level and reported back to the Chinese government.
Sun held roles in New York state government as Hochul’s deputy chief of staff and as the chief diversity officer for former Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Department of Financial Services.
On Tuesday, the FBI arrested Sun and her husband, Christopher Hu, at their multimillion-dollar home on Long Island. Prosecutors said Sun earned millions from her illegal interference in U.S. politics.
Here are five key takeaways from the indictment.
The Chinese government allegedly paid Sun and Hu millions of dollars to influence New York politics, secretly funneling money to the couple to buy a 2024 Ferrari, an apartment in Hawaii and their five-bedroom house on Long Island, which the FBI raided in July.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the kickbacks included “the facilitation of millions of dollars in transactions” for Hu’s business activities in the People’s Republic of China, “travel benefits, tickets to events, [and] promotion of a close family friend’s business.”
“Sun and Hu laundered the monetary proceeds of this scheme to purchase, among other items, real estate property in Manhasset, New York currently valued at $4.1 million, a condominium in Honolulu, Hawaii currently valued at $2.1 million, and various luxury automobiles, including a 2024 Ferrari,” the Justice Department said in a news release.
According to the Justice Department, another kickback came in the form of “Nanjing-style salted ducks prepared by a PRC government official’s personal chef that were delivered to the residence of Sun’s parents.”
China has long claimed jurisdiction over Taiwan, a self-governed island that has asserted its independence. Sun, prosecutors alleged, stopped meetings between Taiwanese officials and the New York governor, even directing her to an event sponsored by the Chinese government instead.
“On or about June 9, 2016, the defendant Linda Sun wrote a PRC Consular official, ‘Just FYI for you, the Taipei economic office is trying to secure [Hochul] for an event in DC during Select USA. They sent the invitation to another colleague trying to bypass me. I am working on it right now to resolve the issue.’ After the PRC Consular official responded, ‘Thank you [f]or letting me know,’ Sun wrote, ‘It’s all been taken care of satisfactorily.’ Notably, on or about June 21, 2016, [Hochul] attended the 2016 SelectUSA Reception in Washington, D.C. hosted by the PRC Embassy and the China General Chamber of Commerce—U.S.A., rather than an event hosted by Taiwan,” the indictment said.
As Cuomo’s chief diversity officer, Sun was the face of diversity, equity and inclusion in New York.
In online videos, she said diversity was not enough, adding that minorities should have a “seat at the table” through equity programs.
However, according to the Justice Department, Sun silenced voices in the U.S. speaking out for China’s Muslim Uyghur minority, whom the Chinese government has long been accused of oppressing.
The indictment said that in January 2021, a Chinese government official asked Sun if she could get Hochul to record a video marking the Lunar New Year.
Sun allegedly asked the official what “talking points” he wanted the governor to mention, and he replied that he wanted greetings and mutual friendship, adding, “Nothing too political.”
According to the indictment, Sun reported to a Chinese government official that she had argued with Hochul’s speechwriter, who had insisted that the governor mention the “Uyghur situation” in China. She said she was starting to lose her temper with the speechwriter.
In the end, Hochul’s speech contained no mention of Uyghurs, and the Chinese Consulate in New York posted her message on its Facebook page.
Money poured into Sun’s bank account from the Chinese government, the indictment said. One payment of almost $50,000 was marked as travel expenses by the sender.
Her husband ran a seafood and wine business that was not large enough to explain one wire transfer of $2.1 million from the Chinese government, according to the indictment.
The document added that the couple’s tax returns showed only their modest incomes and none of the transfers from the Chinese government.