NY Governor’s Chinese ‘spy’ breaks cover for first time after being arrested in dawn raid on $4.1m home

Former New York Governor’s deputy chief of staff Kathy Hochul was seen leaving court in New York for the first time since her dramatic arrest.

Linda Sun, 41, and her husband Chris Hu, 40, were arrested Tuesday in Manhasset, Long Island, after their $4.1 million, five-bedroom mansion was searched by federal officials in July.

She is accused of enriching herself and her family by acting as a secret agent of the Chinese Communist Party, federal prosecutors revealed in a sweeping indictment.

Sun is accused of blocking Taiwanese government officials from accessing senior New York State officials and altering reporting on issues related to the CCP.

Prosecutors say she used proceeds from her illegal work to buy the Manhasset home, a $2.1 million condo in Hawaii and luxury vehicles including a 2024 Ferrari.

Sun and her husband are also accused of laundering the proceeds of their illegal activities. Hu is also accused of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and misuse of identification tools.

Sun’s bail was set at $1.5 million and Hun’s at $500,000. Both pleaded not guilty and were released.

According to the Justice Department, a 63-page indictment alleges that Sun “repeatedly violated the internal rules and protocols” of the New York governor’s office to provide “improper benefits” to China and the Communist Party.

US Attorney Breon Peace said: ‘As alleged, the defendant and her husband, while serving the people of New York as deputy chief of staff within the New York State Executive Chamber, in reality worked to advance the interests of the Chinese government and the CCP.

“The illegal scheme enriched the defendant’s family by millions of dollars. Our office will take decisive action to prosecute those who serve as covert agents of a foreign government.”

Sun allegedly received assistance with Hu’s business activities in China and secret tickets to performances by Chinese orchestras and ballet troupes, the indictment said.

A Chinese government official’s personal chef prepared “Nanjing-style salted ducks” that were delivered to Sun’s parents, the company said.

The couple bought the home in 2021 in a gated community called Stone Hill. Earlier this year, they placed the home in a trust, documents show.

Sun worked in state government for nearly 15 years, starting in 2009 as chief of staff to New York State Assemblywoman Grace Meng, now a congresswoman.

Beginning in 2012, Sun served in various positions within former Governor Andrew Cuomo’s administration, including Global New York Trade Manager, Asian Outreach Director for the Governor’s Office, and Queens Regional Representative.

In 2018, the Cuomo administration appointed Sun as Chief Diversity Officer.

In September 2021, she was named deputy chief of staff for Hochul, according to her LinkedIn profile. She remained in that role for about 15 months.

In November 2022, she moved to a job at the New York Department of Labor, where she served as deputy commissioner for strategic corporate development. However, she resigned from that job just months later, in March 2023, the profile said.

A source familiar with the circumstances surrounding her departure told the Associated Press news agency that she was fired after evidence of misconduct was found.

The matter was referred to law enforcement at the time, said the person, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss personnel matters. The person declined to describe the nature of the alleged misconduct.

After leaving state government, Sun went to work as campaign manager for Democrat Austin Cheng, who was making an unsuccessful bid for Congress on Long Island.

In a statement, a spokesman for Hochul’s office said the government fired Sun after “evidence of misconduct was discovered.”

“This individual was hired by the Executive Chamber over a decade ago. We terminated her employment in March 2023 after discovering evidence of misconduct, promptly reported her actions to the police and assisted the police throughout this process,” the statement said.

Sun’s arrest comes after federal prosecutors issued subpoenas to New York Mayor Eric Adams, his campaign and City Hall in an investigation into the Democrat’s 2021 candidacy.

According to a person with knowledge of the subpoenas, the subpoenas requested information about the mayor’s schedule, his travels abroad and possible connections to the Turkish government.

Adams, a retired police chief, has said he did nothing wrong and reiterated that he and his team are cooperating with the investigation.

The subpoenas, first reported by The New York Times, are the latest development in an investigation that has cast a shadow over the leader of America’s most populous city.

The investigation became public in November when Adams’ phones and electronic tablet were seized and officers raided the home of a major fundraiser.

The Attorney General’s Office has not commented on the investigation, but The Times reported in November that it had obtained a search warrant showing that investigators were looking into, among other things, whether Adams’ campaign colluded with the Turkish government to receive donations from foreign sources through front men.