A top New York state government aide secretly helped the Chinese government answer official Covid-19 calls while enjoying a lavish lifestyle as an undercover Beijing agent, according to a U.S. indictment.
In about 14 years, Linda Sun rose to become deputy chief of staff to the governor.
But according to federal prosecutors, the 41-year-old used her position to assist Chinese officials, including blocking Taiwanese diplomats from communicating with the state government and secretly sharing internal documents with Beijing.
In return, China allegedly offered Ms Sun and her husband Christopher Hu millions of dollars in kickbacks to help them buy a $4.1m (£3.1m) house in New York, as well as offers including special deliveries Door-to-door salted duck and other benefits.
They also purchased a $2.1 million ocean-view condo in Honolulu, Hawaii, as well as luxury vehicles including a 2024 Ferrari Roma sports car, according to the indictment.
The couple pleaded not guilty in Brooklyn federal court on Tuesday to a slew of charges, including failure to register as foreign agents, visa fraud and money laundering.
U.S. law requires individuals acting on behalf of foreign or political party interests to register as foreign agents.
Ms. Sun never did so—according to prosecutors, the naturalized citizen born in China “actively concealed that she was acting on the orders, requests, or instructions of Chinese government officials and representatives.”
In 2020, as the Covid-19 pandemic spread across New York state, Ms. Sun allegedly found ways for Chinese consular officials to gain access to New York leaders.
Her efforts were so brazen that at one point, she secretly added a Chinese official to a private conference call about the state’s public health response to the virus, according to prosecutors.
Former New York prosecutor Howard Mast told the BBC the charges reflected a “disturbing” trend of senior public officials, including former New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez, corruptly accepting gifts from foreign governments. .
The indictment against Ms. Sun outlines instances in which she attempted to prevent Taiwanese representatives from communicating or meeting with senior U.S. government officials.
After successfully diverting a senior New York politician from an event hosted by Taiwan in 2016, Ms. Sun allegedly boasted in a message to a Chinese consular official that “everything was handled satisfactorily.” ”.
When Taiwan’s president visited New York in 2019, she was even photographed taking part in pro-Beijing protests against his visit.
As late as January 2021, she had been working behind the scenes to eliminate mention of Beijing’s detention of Uighurs, a predominantly Muslim ethnic group in Xinjiang province.
When Chinese officials asked the governor if they could record a Lunar New Year video, Ms. Sun asked what “talking points” they wanted.
“Mainly holiday greetings and hopes for friendship and cooperation,” the Chinese official wrote. “There is nothing too political.”
Ms. Sun later told another Chinese official that she had argued with Ms. Hochul’s speechwriter, demanding that references to “the Uyghur situation” be removed from a draft of the governor’s speech.
In 2023, while working for the New York labor department, Sun obtained a framed official Lunar New Year message from Gov. Kathy Hochul and gave it to a Chinese official.
The announcement was made outside the normal pipeline and without even the permission of Ms Hochul’s office.
Ms. Sun also drafted fraudulent invitations to Chinese politicians to the United States and wrote an unauthorized employment letter to include a fellow citizen on the New York State Governor’s Asian American Advisory Council.
In return, Ms Sun and Mr Hu “received huge financial and other benefits” [Beijing] deputies,” prosecutors said.
The gifts included free travel to China; tickets to top shows, concerts and sporting events; Ms. Sun’s cousin employed in China; and home delivery of Nanjing-style salted duck prepared by a Chinese government official’s personal chef.
According to the indictment, the duck delicacy was presented to Ms. Sun on at least 16 different occasions and delivered directly to her parents’ home.
Federal agents entered the couple’s Long Island home Tuesday morning and detained them on 10 criminal charges.
The Associated Press quoted her attorney, Jarrod Schafer, as saying: “We look forward to resolving these charges in court. Our client is understandably upset by the charges.
The judge released the pair on bail, restricted their travel to three U.S. states, and ordered Ms. Sun to avoid any contact with representatives of the Chinese consulate or mission in New York.
