September 4, 2024
Our Office will act decisively to prosecute those who serve as undisclosed agents of a foreign government.
United States Attorney Breon Peace in a press release following the arrest of Linda Sun, a former deputy chief of staff for the current governor of New York. Sun faces a variety of charges including “acting as an undisclosed agent of the People’s Republic of China and the Chinese Communist Party.”
Why It Matters: The suspect held positions in the offices of two separate NY governors (Andrew Cuomo and Kathy Hochul) and worked for the New York state government for about a decade. While serving as top aide for NY Gov. Kathy Hochul, Linda Sun was fired for misconduct in March 2023. She now faces charges for a variety of crimes including “acting as an undisclosed agent of the People’s Republic of China and the Chinese Communist Party.” This differs from an espionage charge, which involves illegally obtaining classified information. She also faces allegations of using her positions to “advance Beijing’s agenda in exchange for financial benefits worth millions of dollars and been accused of human smuggling, visa fraud and money laundering. Authorities also arrested Sun’s husband, Chris Hu, who faces fraud and money laundering charges. The couple has pleaded not guilty to all charges and will appear in court again later this month.
Read More: Former High-Ranking New York State Government Employee Charged with Acting as an Undisclosed Agent of the People’s Republic of China and the Chinese Communist Party (United States Attorney’s Office)
Former aide to 2 New York governors is charged with being an agent of the Chinese government (AP News)
Linda Sun, ex-aide to NY Governor Hochul, charged with acting as Chinese agent (Reuters)
by Aimee Roberts, based in Virginia
