Disgraced former politico and Hochul aide Linda Sun and her husband, Christopher Hu, have been indicted for acting as unregistered Chinese agents, visa fraud, smuggling, and laundering kickbacks to buy luxury properties.
Additionally, Sun allegedly blocked Taiwanese access to NY officials, shaped pro-China messaging, and received massive bribes in return for her dishonesty. Both of the defendants have pleaded not guilty.
In any case, the story was broken in a viral social media post. “BREAKING – It has been revealed that Linda Sun, a former aide to Kathy Hochul and a Chinese spy, received $18.1 million from China, which she used to buy a $3.6 million mansion, a $1.9 million condo, and a 2024 Ferrari, in exchange for influencing New York State policy in China’s favor,” one social media post read.
Additionally, Prosecutor Alexander Solomon remarked on the serious nature of these crimes, saying, “This is no ordinary financial fraud.” He specifically drew attention to Linda Sun’s private WeChat to Chinese officials, which read, “I have done many things to make the relationship … flourish.”
Responding to these allegations, Sun’s attorneys, Jarrod Schaeffer and Ken Abell, denied everything. “We are disappointed by the filing of these charges, which are inflammatory and appear to be the product of an overly aggressive prosecution,” the lawyers said.
Building on this remark, the defense claimed, “We are also troubled by aspects of the government’s investigation. As we said today in court, our client is eager to exercise her right to a speedy trial and to defend against these accusations in the proper forum—a court of law.” Watch a resurfaced clip of Sun advocating for leftist causes below:
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Distancing themselves from the situation, Avi Small, Gov. Hochul’s press secretary, said, “We terminated her employment in March 2023 after discovering evidence of misconduct, immediately reported her actions to law enforcement, and have assisted law enforcement throughout this process.”
Similarly, Rich Azzopardi, speaking on behalf of Andrew Cuomo, made the seriousness of these allegations clear. “National security is critical and must be free from foreign influence… While Ms Sun was promoted to Deputy Chief of Staff in the subsequent administration, during our time she worked in a handful of agencies and was one of many community liaisons who had little to no interaction with the governor,” he declared.
Overruling another view, U.S. Attorney Breon Peace dug into the details. “As alleged, while appearing to serve the people of New York as Deputy Chief of Staff within the New York State Executive Chamber, the defendant and her husband actually worked to further the interests of the Chinese government and the CCP… The illicit scheme enriched the defendant’s family to the tune of millions of dollars,” he wrote.
Rounding out the comments, Gov. Kathy Hochul decried the betrayal. She stated, “The scope of what she was capable of doing was shocking. I’m furious, outraged by this behavior and we will let the process play out… It will be coming out in court hearings… She primarily worked for Andrew Cuomo for many more years. She was with me just a short time, about 15 months.”