Governors Wes Moore of Maryland, Tim Walz of Minnesota and Kathy Hochul of New York.
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A former aide to Governor Kathy Hochul is facing federal charges alleging that she used her positions in two state governments to act on behalf of the Chinese government in exchange for perks and financial benefits, including the purchase of luxury real estate and a 2024 Ferrari.

Linda Sun, 41, and her husband Christopher Hu, 40, were arrested Tuesday morning and are due to appear before a U.S. justice of the peace later that day. Their arrests came weeks after FBI agents executed a search warrant on their Long Island home.

In a 64-page indictment, prosecutors allege that Sun acted “under the orders, instructions, or requests” of officials of the Chinese government and the Chinese Communist Party and engaged in political activities to influence members of the New York State government. They allege that Sun intentionally attempted to prevent Taiwanese representatives from meeting with high-ranking state officials, arranged meetings between Chinese officials and members of the New York State government, and obtained forged letters from the Executive Chamber inviting Chinese government officials to the state, later using them to “unlawfully obtain visas to enter the United States.”

In return, Sun and Hu received various gifts, including ballet and concert tickets, travel expenses for Sun’s trips to China, and “Nanjing-style salted ducks” prepared by a Chinese official’s personal chef and delivered to Sun’s parents’ home. Hu’s China-based business interests also received support from two of the officials involved in the plot, resulting in multimillion-dollar profits. The couple used the proceeds to buy a $3.6 million home in Manhasset, as well as a $1.9 million condo in Honolulu and a 2024 Ferrari. Hu is alleged to have wired the money overseas through U.S. bank accounts he opened in a relative’s name, without the relatives’ knowledge.

“As alleged, the defendant and her husband, while purporting to serve the people of New York as Deputy Chief of Staff in the New York State Executive Chamber, were in fact pursuing the interests of the Chinese government and the CCP,” U.S. Attorney Breon Peace said in a press release. “The illegal scheme enriched the defendant’s family by millions of dollars. Our office will act vigorously to prosecute those who serve as covert agents of a foreign government.”

Sun is accused of visa fraud and violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act, among other things. Hu is accused of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, money laundering and misuse of identity documents.

According to Politico, Sun has held many positions in state government, including serving as Asian community liaison and deputy chief diversity officer under Cuomo and serving as Hochul’s deputy chief of staff in 2021. Sun left that position in 2022 to join the state Department of Labor.

In a statement, Hochul spokesman Avi Small said Sun was hired by the Executive Chamber over a decade ago. “We terminated her employment in March 2023 after discovering evidence of misconduct, immediately reporting her actions to law enforcement, and assisting law enforcement throughout the process,” Small said.