Former Hochul aid charged with being an agent of the Chinese government

A erstwhile lawman main of unit to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul was charged Tuesday with acting arsenic an undisclosed cause of the Chinese government, national prosecutors revealed successful a sprawling indictment.

Linda Sun, who held galore posts successful New York authorities authorities earlier rising to the fertile of lawman main of unit for Hochul, was arrested Tuesday greeting on with her husband, Chris Hu, astatine their $3.5 cardinal location connected Long Island.

Sun and Hu, are expected to marque an archetypal tribunal quality Tuesday afternoon, a spokesperson for the U.S. attorney's bureau successful Brooklyn said.

Prosecutors said Sun, astatine the petition of Chinese officials, blocked representatives of the Taiwanese authorities from having entree to high-level officials successful New York state, altered authorities governmental messaging connected issues related to the Chinese authorities and attempted to facilitate a travel to China for a high-level person successful New York, among different things. Hu is charged with wealth laundering conspiracy, conspiracy to perpetrate slope fraud and misuse of means of identification.

“As alleged, portion appearing to service the radical of New York arsenic Deputy Chief of Staff wrong the New York State Executive Chamber, the suspect and her hubby really worked to further the interests of the Chinese authorities and the CCP,” United States Attorney Breon Peace said. “The illicit strategy enriched the defendant’s household to the tune of millions of dollars.”

A lawyer for Sun, Seth DuCharme, did not instantly instrumentality an email seeking comment.

The FBI searched the couple's $3.5 cardinal home in Manhasset successful precocious July but declined to merchandise further details astatine the time.

Sun worked successful authorities authorities for astir 15 years, holding posts successful the medication of erstwhile Gov. Andrew Cuomo and yet becoming Hochul's lawman main of staff, according to her LinkedIn profile.

In November 2022, Sun took a occupation astatine the New York Department of Labor, arsenic lawman commissioner for strategical concern development, but she near that occupation months aboriginal successful March 2023, the illustration said.

In a statement, a spokesperson for Hochul's bureau said the medication fired Sun aft “discovering grounds of misconduct."

“This idiosyncratic was hired by the Executive Chamber much than a decennary ago. We terminated her employment successful March 2023 aft discovering grounds of misconduct, instantly reported her actions to instrumentality enforcement and person assisted instrumentality enforcement passim this process," the connection reads.

Sun and Hu unrecorded successful a gated assemblage connected Long Island called Stone Hill. The mates purchased the location successful 2021 but placed it successful a spot earlier this year, records show.