This an aerial view of the Saxony Court, home in Manhasset, New York belonging to Chris Hu and Linda Sun, July 24, 2024. Sun is the former deputy chief of staff for New York State governor Kathy Hochul. The FBI searched the home on July 23, 2024.
J. Conrad Williams Jr. | Newsday | Getty Images
A former top aide to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul was arrested Tuesday on federal criminal charges accusing her of acting as an undisclosed agent of China and the Chinese Communist Party.
Linda Sun, who had been deputy chief of staff to Hochul for a year, is charged with violating and conspiring to violate the Foreign Agents Registration Act, visa fraud, alien smuggling, and money laundering conspiracy.
Sun’s husband, Chris Hu, also was arrested on charges of money laundering conspiracy, as well as conspiracy to commit bank fraud and misuse of means of identification.
The couple, who were arrested at their home in Long Island, are scheduled to appear Tuesday afternoon in U.S. District Court in Brooklyn, New York.
Hochul’s press secretary Avi Small, in a statement to WNBC News 4 in New York City, said, “This individual was hired by the Executive Chamber more than a decade ago.”
“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,” Small said.
According to the indictment, Sun held a series of positions within New York State government from 2012 until 2023, including deputy chief of staff to Hochul for a year, beginning in September 2021.
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