Linda Sun, Former Aide to New York Governors, Charged as Secret Agent for China
New York [US], September 4: Linda Sun, who previously worked as an aide to former New York Governors Kathy Hochul and Andrew Cuomo, has been charged with acting as a ‘secret agent’ for the Chinese government. This information was revealed by US Attorney Breon Peace.
According to the indictment, Linda Sun, who served as deputy chief of staff to both governors, faces multiple charges, including violating the Foreign Agents Registrations Act, visa fraud, smuggling, and money laundering conspiracy. Her husband, Chris Hu, was also charged with conspiracy of money laundering, bank fraud, and misusing means of identification.
Their home was raided by federal investigators in July. Prosecutors stated that Sun acted as an undisclosed agent of the Chinese government while Hu facilitated the transfer of millions of dollars in kickbacks for personal gain. Both were arrested at their Long Island residence and pleaded not guilty to all charges in federal court.
A judge set bail at USD 1.5 million for Sun and USD 500,000 for Hu, with travel restrictions to New York City, Long Island, Maine, and New Hampshire. Prosecutors outlined the couple’s alleged use of secret communication methods and shell companies to carry out their crimes, including iCloud accounts and WeChat messages in Mandarin.
Defense attorney Seth DuCharme expressed confidence in their case, calling the allegations perplexing and overly inflammatory. The next status conference is set for September 25.
Hochul’s press secretary, Avi Small, stated that Sun was terminated in March 2023 after evidence of misconduct was discovered. Rich Azzopardi, a spokesperson for Cuomo, emphasized the importance of national security being free from foreign influence and noted that Sun had limited interaction with the governor during her time in the administration.
Doubts Revealed
Aide -: An aide is someone who helps or assists a person in a high position, like a governor. They help with tasks and give advice.
New York Governors -: New York Governors are the leaders of the state of New York in the USA. Kathy Hochul and Andrew Cuomo are two people who have been governors of New York.
Secret Agent -: A secret agent is someone who works secretly for a government, often to gather information or do special tasks. In this case, Linda Sun is accused of secretly working for China.
China -: China is a large country in Asia. It is one of the most powerful countries in the world.
Money Laundering -: Money laundering is when people try to hide where money came from, usually because it was earned in illegal ways. They make it look like the money came from a legal source.
Visa Fraud -: Visa fraud is when someone lies or cheats to get a visa, which is a document that allows them to enter or stay in a country.
Long Island -: Long Island is a large island in the state of New York, USA. Many people live there, and it is close to New York City.
Bail -: Bail is money that someone pays to get out of jail while they wait for their trial. If they don’t show up for their trial, they lose the money.
USD -: USD stands for United States Dollar, which is the money used in the USA. 1.5 million USD is a lot of money.
Terminated -: Terminated means that someone was fired or lost their job. Linda Sun was terminated in March 2023 because of evidence of misconduct.