Former New York Governor's Adjutant Charged With Being China's Agent With Millions Of US Dollars

Illustration. (Wikimedia Commons/Sgt. Mikki Sprinkle)

JAKARTA - A former aide to New York Governor Kathy Hochul was indicted on Tuesday for acting secretly as a Chinese Government agent in exchange for millions of dollars in compensation and rewards, including gourmet duck food.

Linda Sun, 41, and her husband Chris Hu (40), pleaded not guilty to criminal charges before US Court Judgeatur Kuo in Brooklyn, after being arrested on Tuesday morning.

Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn said while working in state government, Sun prevented representatives of Taiwanese governments from meeting with officials, and sought to arrange for high-ranking New York State officials to visit China.

In return, representatives of the Chinese government are suspected of arranging millions of dollars in transactions for Hu, who has business activities in China.

Prosecutors also said Sun and Hu used the money to buy Ferrari Roma 2024 sports cars, as well as property on Long Island, New York and Honolulu worth about $6 million, prosecutors said.

Other prizes include Nanjing-style salted ducks prepared by private chefs of Chinese government officials and sent to Sun's parents' homes, prosecutors said.

Sun faces eight charges, including failure to register under the Foreign Agent Registration Act and conspiracy to launder money. Hu faces three charges, including conspiracy to bank fraud.

Governor Hochul himself was not accused of anything wrong. His office sacked Sun in March 2023 after finding evidence of a violation, immediately reported Sun's actions to the authorities and has assisted law enforcement during the process, a governor spokesman said.

Kuo ordered Sun to be released with a guarantee of 1.5 million US dollars and Hu with a guarantee of 500,000 US dollars. The next court hearing will be held on September 25.

"Our client is of course annoyed by this accusation," Sun's lawyer, Jarrod Schaeffer, told reporters after the trial.

A spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in Washington did not respond to a request for comment.

Sun is known to be the deputy chief of staff of Hochul in September 2021, after working in various state institutions.

The US Department of Justice itself has in recent years taken firm action against people accused of working on behalf of enemies such as China and Russia, without registering with the US Government as required by law.

Last month, Chinese academic Wang Shujun was convicted in Brooklyn federal court for gathering information about New York-based activists supporting democracy in China, then sharing his findings with Beijing.