A former aide to New York Governor Kathy Hochul has been charged with acting as an undisclosed agent of the Chinese government, federal prosecutors in Brooklyn announced Tuesday.
Linda Sun, 41, Hochul’s former deputy chief of staff, was arrested Tuesday and is scheduled to appear in court later today. Her husband, Chris Hu, also faces charges.
Sun served as a top adviser to both Hochul and her predecessor, Andrew Cuomo.
What is Linda Sun accused of?
During his tenure in the state government, authorities say Sun prevented Taiwanese government officials from meeting with officials and attempted to arrange a high-level visit to China for a New York state official.
In return, the indictment says, Chinese government officials facilitated transactions worth millions of dollars for Hu’s business activities in China.
“As alleged, while the defendant and her husband pretended to serve the people of New York as Deputy Chief of Staff in the New York State Executive Chamber, they actually served the interests of the Chinese government and the CCP,” said U.S. Attorney Breon Peace. “The illegal conspiracy enriched the defendant’s family by millions of dollars.”
Other gifts reportedly included Nanjing-style salted ducks delivered to Sun’s parents’ home by the personal chef of a Chinese government official, officials said.
Sun and Hu’s lawyers have not yet commented.
Contributors: USA Today Network
