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This is an aerial view of the Saxon Court home in Manhasset, New York, owned by Chris Ho and Linda Sun, July 24, 2024. Sun is the former deputy chief of staff to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul. The FBI searched the home on July 23, 2024.
J. Conrad Williams Jr. | Newsday | Getty Images
A former aide to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul was arrested Tuesday on federal criminal charges that accuse her of acting as an undeclared agent of China and the Chinese Communist Party, laundering millions of dollars for China.
Linda Sun, who served as Hochul's deputy chief of staff for a year in addition to holding other positions in state government, faces charges of violating and conspiring to violate the Foreign Agents Registration Act, visa fraud, alien smuggling and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
Sun's husband, 40-year-old businessman Chris Ho, was also arrested on charges of conspiracy to commit money laundering, as well as conspiracy to commit bank fraud and misuse of identification.
The couple, who were arrested by FBI agents at their Long Island home, are scheduled to appear Tuesday afternoon in U.S. District Court in Brooklyn, New York.
Prosecutors say the couple laundered the proceeds of their alleged scheme to buy a $4.1 million home in Manhasset, Long Island, a $2.1 million condo in Honolulu, and luxury cars including a 2024 Ferrari.
The indictment alleges that Sun, 41, while working in the governor's office under Hochul and former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, and in several state agencies, also served as an undeclared agent of the People's Republic of China, where she was born.
The indictment says that “while he was acting at the request of officials of the Government of the People's Republic of China and [Communist Party of China] According to the indictment, Sun engaged in numerous political activities on behalf of the PRC and the CCP. These activities included “preventing Taiwanese government representatives from accessing” the New York Governor’s Office, altering Hochul’s and another politician’s communications on issues important to China and the CCP, obtaining official statements from the Governor for PRC representatives, and attempting to facilitate Hochul’s trip to China.
It also claims to have arranged “meetings for visiting delegations from the Government of the People's Republic of China with New York State government officials.”
In exchange for those and other actions, Sun “obtained substantial economic and other benefits” from the Chinese government and Communist Party, prosecutors said.
“These measures included facilitating millions of dollars in transactions for Hu’s business activities in the People’s Republic of China,” the press release said.
Sun also received tickets to attend events “promoting the business of a close family friend;”
“The food was among the main meals provided to Sun’s family, including job opportunities for Sun’s cousin in the People’s Republic of China, and Nanjing-style salted duck meals prepared by a personal chef for a PRC government official and delivered to Sun’s parents’ residence,” the statement said.
“This individual was appointed by the executive branch over a decade ago,” Hochul’s press secretary, Avi Small, told WNBC News 4 in New York City.
“We terminated her employment in March 2023 after discovering evidence of misconduct, immediately reported her actions to law enforcement and assisted law enforcement throughout the process,” Small said.
Sun was working for the state Department of Labor when she was fired.
According to the indictment, Sun held a series of positions within the New York State government from 2012 through 2023, including as Hochul's deputy chief of staff for a year, beginning in September 2021.
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