 "How former New York Governor aide Linda Sun 'spied' for China in exchange for salted ducks")
Linda Sun, a former high-ranking aide to New York Governors Kathy Hochul and Andrew Cuomo, has been charged with acting as an illegal agent for the Chinese government.
Sun, along with her spouse Chris Hu, is accused of engaging in a web of activities to further Beijing’s interests in exchange for millions of dollars in illicit benefits. The charges, which were unsealed in a Brooklyn federal court, reveal an alleged scheme that spanned nearly a decade and involved high-level influence, financial kickbacks, and even gourmet meals of Nanjing-style salted duck.
What are the allegations?
Linda Sun, 41, who served as deputy chief of staff under both Hochul and Cuomo, has been charged with multiple counts, including violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), money laundering conspiracy, visa fraud, and alien smuggling.
Her spouse, Chris Hu, 40, faces similar charges, including conspiracy to commit bank fraud and misuse of identification. The couple was arrested at their Long Island residence and later pleaded not guilty to all charges during their initial court appearance.
The indictment alleges that Sun, at the behest of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the People’s Republic of China (PRC), engaged in a series of actions designed to further Chinese interests within the New York state government.
These actions included blocking Taiwanese officials from accessing state leaders, ensuring that New York’s political messaging aligned with Beijing’s priorities, and arranging unauthorised invitation letters for Chinese officials to enter the US.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsAccording to the indictment, the couple used their illicit gains to fund a lavish lifestyle, including purchasing a 2024 Ferrari Roma and real estate worth approximately $6 million in New York and Honolulu.
Federal prosecutors also revealed that Sun received smaller, yet equally telling, gifts from Chinese officials, such as tickets to cultural events and deliveries of salted ducks prepared by a Chinese government official’s personal chef.
How did Sun aid China?
Sun’s influence within the New York state government is detailed extensively in the indictment. In one instance, she is accused of blocking representatives from the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office (TECO) from meeting with state officials.
TECO, which functions as Taiwan’s de facto embassy in the US, was reportedly cut off from high-level meetings because Sun, following CCP directives, knew that Beijing opposed any form of Taiwanese diplomacy.
The indictment also highlights how Sun manipulated state government messaging to align with Chinese interests. For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Sun allegedly ensured that then-Governor Andrew Cuomo publicly praised China for sending medical supplies to New York.
In a highly publicised incident, Sun arranged for Cuomo to thank Chinese officials for facilitating the donation of 1,000 ventilators, a gesture that was prominently featured in an archived social media post from Cuomo’s government account: “We finally got some good news today. The Chinese government helped facilitate a donation of 1,000 ventilators that will arrive at JFK today. I thank the Chinese government, Jack Ma, Joe Tsai, the Jack Ma Foundation, the Tsai Foundation and Consul General Huang.”
Sun’s influence even extended to censoring mentions of sensitive issues like the persecution of Uyghurs in China.
In January 2021, after Chinese officials requested a Lunar New Year video from the governor, Sun reportedly argued with speechwriters to remove any mention of the Uyghur situation from Hochul’s message. The final speech, delivered by Hochul, conspicuously omitted any reference to the Muslim ethnic minority.
How did Linda Sun’s former bosses react?
The revelations have sparked outrage and concern among New York’s political elite. Governor Kathy Hochul expressed her chagrin during an interview with WNYC, saying she was “absolutely shocked at how brazen” Sun’s alleged behaviour was. “It was a betrayal of trust,” Hochul said, adding that her office fired Sun in March 2023 “the second we discovered some levels of misconduct.”
Hochul said that her administration immediately alerted authorities and has been cooperating with law enforcement throughout the investigation.
Rich Azzopardi, a spokesperson for Andrew Cuomo, downplayed Sun’s influence during Cuomo’s tenure, stating that she “worked in a handful of agencies and was one of many community liaisons who had little to no interaction with the governor.”
However, the indictment suggests that Sun’s reach extended far beyond what was previously known, with her actions reportedly shaping key aspects of New York’s response to both domestic and international issues.
Has China infiltrated US politics?
Sun’s case is part of a broader effort by the US Department of Justice to root out covert Chinese influence in the United States. In recent years, several cases have emerged where individuals were accused of acting as unregistered agents for foreign governments, including China and Russia.
Just last month, Chinese academic Wang Shujun was convicted in Brooklyn for gathering information on New York-based activists who supported democracy in China and sharing it with Beijing.
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US Attorney Breon Peace, who announced the charges against Sun and Hu, stating the seriousness of the case. “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,” Peace said. “The illicit scheme enriched the defendant’s family to the tune of millions of dollars.”
The couple’s activities were reportedly extensive and sophisticated, involving the use of shell companies, encrypted WeChat messages, and iCloud accounts, all conducted in Mandarin. Assistant US Attorney Alexander Solomon described the financial transactions as “no ordinary financial fraud,” noting the multitude of shell entities involved in laundering the proceeds from Hu’s business dealings in China.
Sun and Hu have been released on bond — $1.5 million for Sun and $500,000 for Hu — with their travel restricted to New York City, Long Island, Maine, and New Hampshire. Their next court appearance is scheduled for September 25, 2024.
Defence attorneys for the couple have dismissed the charges as “overly aggressive” and “inflammatory.” Jarrod Schaeffer, representing Sun, stated that the charges “appear to be the product of an overly aggressive prosecution,” and said that Sun is eager to defend herself in court.
“Our client is understandably upset that these charges have been brought,” Schaeffer told reporters. Meanwhile, Seth DuCharme, representing Hu, expressed confidence in their defence, stating, “We have a lot of confidence in our case.”
With inputs from agencies
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