Ex-Aide to New York Governor Charged as Agent of China

Some surprise federal charges emerged out of the New York state capital of Albany on Tuesday: A former top aide to Gov Kathy Hochul was charged with acting as an agent of China. Details were still emerging about the allegations involving Linda Sun, who worked in state government for more than a decade until last year. But she allegedly used her influence to block Taiwanese officials from gaining access to state officials while making it easier for Chinese officials to visit, reports the New York Times. Her husband, businessman Chris Hu, faces related money laundering charges.

• Sun, 41, acted as "an undisclosed agent of the Chinese government while her husband, Hu, facilitated the transfer of millions of dollars in kickbacks for personal gain," say prosecutors in a news release, per CNN. Authorities raided the couple's $3.5 million home in Manhasset in July, per the AP.

• In one example, she wrote, "No meeting please," to an Assembly member who had invited Hochul to meet with the ambassador of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office, per the Times. "Kindly decline. Do not want her to wade into this China/Taiwan sensitivity."
• She allegedly used her position in state government to "covertly promote" the agendas of China and the Chinese Communist Party, which prosecutors said were "directly threatening our country's national security."
• Sun held several posts in state government in the administrations of both Hochul and predecessor Andrew Cuomo. She eventually rose to become Hochul's deputy chief of staff before leaving for a post in the state Labor Department in late 2022. She left state government the following March.
• "This individual was hired by the Executive Chamber more than a decade ago," said Hochul's office in a statement on Tuesday. 'We terminated her employment in March 2023 after discovering evidence of misconduct, immediately reported her actions to law enforcement and have assisted law enforcement throughout this process."
• Sun is charged with violating and conspiring to violate the Foreign Agents Registrations Act, visa fraud, alien smuggling, and money laundering conspiracy. Hu, 40, is charged with money laundering conspiracy, conspiracy to commit bank fraud, and misusing means of identification, reports NBC New York.

(More New York state stories.)