Former aide Linda Sun, who worked for New York State for about 15 years, first under Andrew Cuomo and then as Kathy Hochul’s deputy chief of staff, was arrested on September 3 with her husband at their $4 million Long Island home. Prosecutors accuse her of blocking Taiwanese government officials from accessing high-level New York State officials and altering official messages to favor China’s political agenda, among other things. “While appearing to serve the people of New York, the defendant and her husband were actually working to advance the interests of the Chinese government and the Chinese Communist Party,” said federal prosecutor Breon Peace after the arrest.
Sun is a naturalized U.S. citizen (born in China) and has pleaded not guilty along with her husband Chris Hu. They will be released on bail, but are prohibited from contacting the People's Republic of China's consulate and diplomatic mission in the United States. Her defense attorney, Jarrod Schaeffer, said his client is “understandably dismayed” by the charges against her, and that they will contest them in court once the trial begins.
Linda Sun's lavish lifestyle was one of the clues that led to the investigation into her actions as governor of New York State. Federal prosecutor Breon Peace said that 'the illicit scheme enriched the defendant's family by several million dollars.' The justice authorities traced a series of gifts and benefits received that suggest the links between the defendants, the Chinese government and their associates.
The entire investigation is framed by the growing tensions between the United States and China. In testimony before Congress last year, FBI Director Christopher Wray said the agency had opened 'thousands of investigations' into Chinese espionage in the country. And the CIA has done its part, too. In a speech in 2023, the director of that agency, William Burns, indicated that spending on countering Chinese intelligence activities had more than doubled.
The case was immediately turned over to federal police. Sun, a naturalized U.S. citizen born in China, worked in New York state government for about 15 years. Sun's position provided Beijing with a means to shape and control New York leaders' views of China, prosecutors said. They claimed he prevented Taiwanese representatives from meeting with New York officials. Beijing claims the self-ruled island as its territory.
