Who is Kathy Hochul’s Chinese ‘spy’ Linda Sun? Ivy League graduate ‘infiltrated government’ to pump taxpayer funds into the COVID crisis
Last night it was revealed that a high-ranking New York government official was operating as a Chinese spy, pumping taxpayer money into masks and ventilators during the COVID pandemic.
Linda Sun, an Ivy League graduate who worked for Democratic governors Andrew Cuomo and Kathy Hochul, was dramatically arrested along with her husband on Tuesday in a raid on her $4 million Long Island mansion.
Sun and her husband Christopher Hu are accused of taking millions in bribes from the Chinese Communist Party, which funded an extravagant lifestyle that includes a $2 million Hawaiian condo and a 2024 Ferrari.
Now it has come to light that Sun bragged about her âleadershipâ in the New York City governmentâs purchase of personal protective equipment (PPE) and ventilators during the Covid-19 pandemic, according to her now-deleted LinkedIn profile.
Meanwhile, her husband Hu, who is accused of laundering the couple’s money, set up a company selling medical supplies around the time of the pandemic.
Sun is also said to have used her influence to advance China’s geopolitical agenda by banning meetings with Taiwanese officials and diverting her message away from criticism of Beijing’s persecution of Uighur Muslims.
Sun and her businessman husband Christopher Hu (left) are also accused of laundering millions of dollars through their alleged espionage to fund an extravagant lifestyle
The couple’s five-bedroom, $4 home in Manhasset, New York, was searched by the FBI Tuesday morning
Sun’s reputation with Chinese government officials was such that she was able to arrange for Nanjing-style salted ducks, prepared by a party official’s personal chef, to be delivered to her parents’ home.
The shocking 65-page indictment comes amid growing fears about China’s growing influence in the US, including buying up vast swaths of farmland and investing millions in schools.
The couple appeared to leave the courtroom Tuesday afternoon with a straight face. They both pleaded not guilty, while their lawyer described the charges against them as “mind-boggling.”
Sun’s bail was set at $1.5 million, while her husband’s was $500,000. They were ordered not to travel beyond New York City, Long Island, Maine and New Hampshire.
The indictment alleges that Sun “acted as a covert agent of the Chinese government while her husband, Christopher Hu, facilitated the transfer of millions of dollars in bribes for personal gain.”
Hu is known to own a number of businesses, including a liquor store in Queens, in addition to the medical company founded during the pandemic.
On her now-deleted LinkedIn profile, Sun promoted her role in New Yorkâs response to the pandemic, boasting that she âled the procurement of COVID-19 PPEâ equipment in New York.
At the same time, it was revealed that city officials severely overspent on medical equipment for the pandemic, resulting in only $500,000 worth of surplus personal protective equipment being auctioned off last year, according to The city.
According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, more than 70 percent of U.S. PPE equipment is made in China.
Sun is seen above being honored at a meeting of the Consulate of the People’s Republic of China, in an image included in the Justice Department’s indictment
Linda Sun, a former senior New York government official, is accused by prosecutors of influencing the government on behalf of the CCP
The significant amount of money and power flowing through New York’s political scene created an ideal environment for the CCP to exert influence through Sun, the indictment said.
During her time in Albany â before she was fired in March 2023 for âmisconductâ â she has been accused of conspiring with the CCP in various ways, including blocking Taiwanese officials from accessing the governorâs office.
She is also accused of altering the government’s message to favor the Chinese, removing all references to Taiwan and preventing officials from speaking publicly about the CCP’s persecution of Uighur Muslims in China.
In one interaction cited in the indictment, Governor Hochul was invited to meet with the ambassador of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office, to which Sun responded, “No meeting please… Please refuse. I don’t want her to interfere with this China/Taiwan sensitivity.”
In another alleged blocking incident in 2019, Sun allegedly told representatives of Tsai Ing-wen, then Taiwan’s president, that Governor Cuomo was unable to hold a meeting during Ing-wen’s controversial visit.
She then reportedly wrote to a Chinese government official: âI have already blocked it.â
That same day, she was photographed protesting in Manhattan against the Taiwanese Prime Minister’s visit.
Sun at a 2019 protest against Taiwan’s president’s visit to NYC, prosecutors say
In addition to reportedly receiving millions for their actions, Sun is also said to have prepared âNanjing-style salted ducksâ prepared by a Chinese government officialâs private chef and had them delivered to her parents.
The delivery of the special ducks occurred on at least three separate occasions, as part of a series of payments that prosecutors say link Sun to CCP influence.
It is unclear when Sun began working for the CCP, according to prosecutors. Her career in New York politics spans nearly 15 years.
In 2009, she began serving as chief of staff to New York State Assemblymember 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 named Sun chief diversity officer before naming her Hochulâs deputy chief of staff in September 2021, 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.
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.
Hochul’s spokesman told the New York Times that Sun ‘was adopted by the executive chamber more than ten years ago.’
He added that the governor’s administration “immediately reported its actions to law enforcement and has assisted law enforcement throughout this process.”
She was fired in March 2023 after officials found evidence of misconduct.
Before working in government, she attended Barnard College and received a master’s degree in education from Columbia University.
In September 2021, Sun was appointed deputy chief of staff to Governor Hochul
Sun, seen earlier in her career, was fired by Hochul in March 2023 after she “discovered evidence of misconduct”
Sun’s arrest comes after federal prosecutors issued subpoenas to New York Mayor Eric Adams, his campaign team and City Hall in an investigation into the Democrat’s 2021 candidacy, which involved alleged ties to the Turkish government.
It came just weeks after Shajun Wang, 75, a resident of Queens, was convicted in federal court in Brooklyn of spying for the CCP.
According to the Times, three men were also convicted in New Jersey last summer of stalking a family on behalf of the CCP.