A former aide to New York Governor Kathy Hochul was arrested Tuesday on charges that she secretly used her position to support the Chinese government and the Chinese Communist Party while making millions of dollars from her husband’s lobster export business to China.

Linda Sun, 41, and her husband Christopher Hu, 40, were taken into custody a month and a half after the FBI raided their Long Island home in late July. Sun is accused of repeatedly acting on behalf of Chinese officials – from blocking meetings between state officials and Taiwanese government officials to fraudulently helping them obtain work visas to tailoring messaging from Hochul and former Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office to more closely align with the Chinese government.

In March 2020, according to the indictment, Sun arranged for a Chinese government official to secretly listen in on a conference call with New York state government leaders discussing how to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic and a rise in anti-Asian hate crimes.

In return, Sun and Hu enriched themselves “by millions of dollars” after officials with ties to the Chinese government helped Hu’s seafood company gain a foothold in China, according to Breon Peace, the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York. The money, which prosecutors said was not listed on Sun’s state disclosure forms or the couple’s tax returns, allegedly helped them buy a 2024 Ferrari, a $3.6 million home in the Long Island development of Manhasset and a $1.9 million condo in Honolulu.

Prosecutors also listed other perks, including tickets to concerts and sporting events and “Nanjing-style salted duck” prepared by the personal chef of a Chinese government official and delivered to Sun’s parents’ home three times.

“Sun used her influential position among senior leaders to secretly advance the agendas of (the People’s Republic of China) and (the Chinese Communist Party), directly threatening our country’s national security,” Peace said in a statement.

Sun faces charges ranging from visa fraud to violations of the Foreign Agents Registration Act. Hu is accused of conspiracy to commit money laundering and bank fraud.

Both pleaded not guilty in federal court in Brooklyn. Sun was released on $1.5 million bail. Hu was given $500,000 bail. Sun was also barred from contacting the Chinese consulate and mission. The Chinese embassy in Washington did not respond to a request for comment.

“We have great confidence in our case. Some of the allegations in the indictment are frankly inflammatory and confusing,” said Hu’s attorney Seth DuCharme. Sun’s attorney Jarrod Schaeffer said they are seeking a speedy trial.

Sun served as Hochul’s deputy chief of staff in 2021 and 2022 before serving as deputy commissioner in the state Department of Labor. Hochul spokesman Avi Small said in a statement that the governor’s administration had fired Sun.

“We terminated her employment in March 2023 after discovering evidence of misconduct, promptly reporting her actions to law enforcement, and assisting them throughout the process,” Small said.

Prior to her stint in the Hochul administration, Sun held a number of other positions in the Cuomo administration, according to her LinkedIn account, including a high-level post in the state’s economic development department, where she was responsible for organizing international trade missions.

Sun’s alleged influence campaign lasted from 2015 to 2023. The indictment alleges that she regularly communicated with Chinese government officials about her efforts to boost China’s reputation in the Empire State.

Her job often involved making sure that neither Cuomo’s nor Hochul’s offices recognized Taiwan as an official country. The People’s Republic of China has not recognized Taiwan’s government for decades and refuses to maintain diplomatic relations with countries that do.

At times, Sun even went so far as to restrict contact between high-ranking state officials and Taiwanese representatives and communicated this to Chinese officials.

When the Taiwanese government donated 200,000 masks to New York in April 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, Sun reportedly made sure Cuomo’s office did not publicly confirm the donation and kept a Chinese official in the loop. Elsewhere, she admitted to nearly having “a heart attack” when a press release referred to Cuomo’s Taiwan as a country – which she promptly removed.

“Of course, I succeeded in ending all relations between the (Taiwan Economic and Cultural Bureau) and the state,” Sun wrote to a Chinese official in 2019, according to the indictment. “I refused all requests from your office.”

“I appreciate and value your help,” the official responded. “In our policy department, you are the main interface between us and (Cuomo) and his team.”

In early 2021, Sun arranged for Hochul, then vice governor, to record a New Year’s message for the Chinese consul general’s office. When Sun sent the official the video – set against a festive backdrop of traditional Chinese imagery and music – she noted that she had blocked a speechwriter’s attempt to include a reference to the Uighurs detained in government camps in China.

Sun is also said to have sent fake invitation letters from the governor’s office to Chinese officials, allowing them to obtain work visas to enter the United States.

At the same time, according to the indictment, Hu helped a couple with ties to the Chinese government – referred to in the indictment as Co-Conspirator 1 and Co-Conspirator 2 – overcome international hurdles and build his seafood export business in mainland China.

Hu’s company, Foodie Fisherman LLC, sought to export lobsters to China’s Henan province in 2016. The assistance paid off, and Hu’s companies eventually earned millions of dollars, which prosecutors say he smuggled into the U.S. without declaring on his tax returns.

As a result, Sun and Hu moved from Forest Hills, Queens, to Manhasset in 2021 after purchasing a multi-million dollar home in an exclusive North Shore neighborhood. That same year, they also purchased the 47th floor condo of a high-rise in Honolulu.

Sun did not list the payments on the government-mandated disclosure forms she must file each year. She also did not list gifts she received from Chinese government officials, such as trips or the salted ducks. In 2020, she said Hu received no more than $150,000 from Foodie Fisherman – the highest amount she listed on any of the annual forms.

Catalina Gonella contributed reporting.