By Hank Russell
Since the recent arrest of Linda Sun, who served as a key advisor to former Governor Andrew Cuomo and current Governor Kathy Hochul, state legislators have expressed outrage when it was found out that she acted as a foreign agent with the Chinese government and the Chinese Communist Party. Some of them are now calling for a statewide investigation.
On September 3, Sun was arrested on charges of violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act, visa fraud, and money laundering. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Sun — along with her husband, Chris Hu — was accused of conspiring to commit money laundering, bank fraud and misuse of means of identification. They were both arraigned at U.S. District Court of the Eastern District of New York.
According to the indictment, Sun allegedly acted on behalf of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) while working for the New York State government. At the request of PRC government officials and CCP representatives, Sun engaged in numerous political activities in the interests of the PRC and the CCP, including:
- blocking representatives of the Taiwanese government from having access to high-level New York State officers
- changing high-level New York State officers’ messaging regarding issues of importance to the PRC and the CCP
- obtaining official New York State proclamations for PRC government representatives without proper authorization
- attempting to facilitate a trip to the PRC by a high-level New York State politician
- arranging meetings for visiting delegations from the PRC government with state government officials
In return for these and other actions, the FBI alleged, Sun received substantial economic and other benefits from representatives of the PRC government and the CCP, including the facilitation of millions of dollars in transactions for the PRC-based business activities of Sun’s husband; travel benefits; tickets to events; promotion of a close family friend’s business; employment for Sun’s cousin in the PRC; and Nanjing-style salted ducks prepared by a PRC government official’s personal chef that were delivered to the residence of Sun’s parents.
Sun and Hu also allegedly laundered the monetary proceeds of this scheme to purchase, among other items, real estate property in Manhasset, currently valued at $4.1 million; a condominium in Honolulu, currently valued at $2.1 million; and various luxury automobiles, including a 2024 Ferrari. Sun never disclosed any benefits she received from representatives of the PRC government and the CCP to the New York State government, as she was required to do as a New York State government employee.
As alleged, Hu also laundered unlawful proceeds through bank accounts opened in the name of a close relative but that were actually for Hu’s exclusive use. To open these accounts, Hu unlawfully used an image of the relative’s driver’s license.
As previously reported in Long Island Life & Politics, the FBI conducted a raid on Sun’s Manhasset residence. At the time, neither Sun nor Hu were arrested and the FBI found no wrongdoing.
“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,” U.S. Attorney Breon Peace for the Eastern District of New York said in a statement. “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.”
Hochul was asked about Sun’s arrest when she appeared on PBS News Hour. She called the arrest “absolutely shocking,” considering Sun was in state government even before Hochul’s term began.
“[T]o think that any foreign agent, any foreign government has the audacity to infiltrate a government organization like the State of New York — has to be addressed. And we’ll be talking more about what we want to see happen […], but I will say this — everyone should be aware who they are empowering with positions.”
“It is shocking in its scale,” Hochul continued. “I’m glad we were able to see some evidence that didn’t look right to us. And we immediately alerted the authorities, and hence we have this outcome.”
Many GOP state assemblymembers expressed outrage that this occurred in state government for so long. Keith Brown (R.C-Northport) said that the fact that Sun was allowed to work in conjunction with the PRC and CCP during her tenure in the governor’s office is “disturbing” and “a direct threat to our safety and security as New York State and U.S. citizens.”
Ed Flood (R-Port Jefferson) called the allegations “troubling” and said they “[raise] concerns about honesty in the governor’s office.”
“As an elected official, it is my duty to ensure my constituents receive professional assistance from me and my staff, which unfortunately the executive office failed to guarantee to New Yorkers,” Flood added.
In a blunt assessment of the situation, Michael Durso (R-Massapequa Park) said, “The conduct described in the indictment of Linda Sun is a total and complete betrayal to every United States citizen. Working full-time to disrupt and sabotage New York State government is outrageous. We need to make sure we put in the proper safeguards in place to make sure this never happens again, and I will be working with my colleagues to discuss our next steps. I thank law enforcement for their thorough investigation and look forward to justice being served for these treasonous crimes.”
Brown said he will call on Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie (D-Bronx) to convene the Assembly Judiciary Committee to determine what state government information may have been leaked and who else might have been involved. “I sincerely hope Governor Hochul will take this threat very seriously and take action,” Brown said. “This breach of public trust and security cannot be ignored.”
John Mikulin (R,C-Bethpage) also called for an investigation. “It is alarming that Linda Sun … allegedly conspired with the Chinese government and the CCP undetected for years,” he said. “This situation needs to be addressed by the governor.”