Hochul’s Former Aide Faces New Charges in Chinese Spy Case

Linda Sun (R), a former aide to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, and her husband, Chris Hu, exit the federal court in New York City on Sept. 3, 2024. Huang Xiaotang/The Epoch Times

Linda Sun, former deputy chief of staff to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, and Sun’s husband, Chris Hu, are facing additional charges in a case that alleges they acted as agents of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

Sun and Hu were arrested and charged in September 2024 in a case that is part of the Department of Justice’s broader effort to root out communist China’s secret agents, who U.S. officials say are covertly advancing the CCP’s interests and targeting Chinese dissidents on U.S. soil in an effort known as transnational repression.

On Feb. 11, Sun and Hu pleaded not guilty at a hearing in Brooklyn federal court, prosecutors said, adding that the money laundering charge against the two had been amended to include additional legal statutes.

Hu also pleaded not guilty to three additional money laundering counts, according to prosecutors.

A superseding indictment filed on Feb. 4 didn’t provide more details other than saying that Hu’s charges were connected to three separate financial transactions totaling $1.5 million in 2020.

A spokesperson for federal prosecutors declined to comment beyond what was stated in the superseding indictment.

Jarrod Schaeffer, one of Sun’s attorneys, said the revised indictment also does not “remedy critical errors identified in the prior indictment.”

Sun and Hu remain free on bond and are scheduled to return to court on April 23.

Last year, Sun was charged with violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), visa fraud, alien smuggling, and money laundering conspiracy. Hu was charged with money laundering conspiracy, conspiracy to commit bank fraud, and misuse of means of identification.

Sun, a naturalized U.S. citizen born in China, worked for the New York state government under Hochul and former Gov. Andrew Cuomo for about 15 years. During her political career, she held various posts, including deputy superintendent for intergovernmental affairs, chief diversity officer at the state’s Department of Financial Services, deputy chief diversity officer and director of Asian American Affairs for the state’s Executive Chamber, and director of external affairs for Global NY at Empire State Development.

Prosecutors alleged that Sun engaged in “numerous political activities in the interests of the PRC and the CCP,” such as preventing representatives of Taiwan’s government from having access to high-level state officials and changing the governors’ messaging to remove references to Taiwan and human rights abuses in China’s far-western region of Xinjiang.

In return, Hu received assistance for his various business activities in China, according to prosecutors.

Additionally, prosecutors said the financial arrangement with CCP officials helped Sun and Hu buy a $3.6 million home on Long Island, a $1.9 million condominium in Hawaii, and luxury automobiles, including a 2024 Ferrari.

In November 2024, Sun’s lawyers filed a motion to dismiss the charges, arguing that their client had been unfairly targeted.

“In the government’s view, Ms. Sun and her family simply have too much and so there must be a nefarious reason,” the filing reads.

“Sputtering about state ethics rules and undisclosed gifts, the government eventually reached the conclusion that when a woman of Chinese heritage allegedly receives unreported gifts from other Chinese individuals, she must be bought and paid for by China.”

Prosecutors, in their written response in December 2024, called the motion to dismiss the charges premature, saying that the initial indictment provides “ample factual details” to support their claims.

Prosecutors dismissed Sun’s argument that the FARA charge should be dismissed.

“Sun argues that unless the Indictment cites verbatim taskings from the PRC government or the CCP, pretrial dismissal of the FARA charges is appropriate. Sun is mistaken,” the filing reads.

“A rational juror could find beyond a reasonable doubt that Sun acted to advance the interests of the PRC government and CCP and that her acts were taken at the behest of one or more foreign principals. Thus, the factual allegations of the Indictment are sufficient to support the government’s charge that Sun acted on behalf of the PRC government or the CCP.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.