A former deputy chief of staff to New York Gov. Kathy Hocul (D) has been arrested and charged with acting as an agent of the Chinese government.
The Associated Press reported Tuesday that Linda Sun, who was Hochul’s deputy chief of staff, and her husband were arrested at their $3.5 million home on Long Island.
“Prosecutors said Sun, at the request of Chinese officials, blocked representatives of the Taiwanese government from having access to high-level officials in New York state, altered state governmental messaging on issues related to the Chinese government and attempted to facilitate a trip to China for a high-level politician in New York, among other things. Hu is charged with money laundering conspiracy, conspiracy to commit bank fraud and misuse of means of identification,” the AP reported.
United States Attorney Breon Peace said, “As alleged, while appearing to serve the people of New York as Deputy Chief of Staff within the New York State Executive Chamber, the defendant and her husband actually worked to further the interests of the Chinese government and the CCP.”
“The illicit scheme enriched the defendant’s family to the tune of millions of dollars,” Peace added.
Sun worked in different roles for the state for 15 years.
However, Hochul’s office said Sun was fired after “discovering evidence of misconduct.”
“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,” a spokesman for the governor said in a statement.
