A former New York state official was charged on Tuesday (Sep. 3) for allegedly acting as an undisclosed agent of the Chinese government.

Linda Sun, 41, worked in various state agencies for 15 years. She worked for former New York governor Andrew Cuomo, and became current governor Kathy Hochul's deputy chief of staff in September 2021.

Sun was arrested along with her husband Chris Hu, 40, at their US$3.5 million (S$4.6 million) home on Long Island on Tuesday (Sep. 3) morning.

The allegations

Prosecutors in Brooklyn alleged that while working in the state government, Sun committed various acts to benefit the People's Republic of China and its Communist Party.

Sun was accused of blocking representatives of the Taiwanese government from meeting with U.S. officials, at the request of Chinese officials.

Sun also allegedly influenced New York state government messages to align with the "priorities of the Chinese government" and attempted to arrange for a high-level New York state official to visit China.

The indictment against Sun, as quoted by The Guardian, zoomed on a series of exchanges between Sun and Chinese officials in 2021, when Cuomo was still governor and Hochul was lieutenant governor.

Neither were identified in the documents and were referred to as "Politician-1" and "Politician-2".

Then, Chinese officials requested for the governor to do a Lunar New Year video, to which Sun responded that Hochul could probably do it. She proceeded to ask for "talking points of things" they wanted her to say.

Later, Sun told a different official that she quarrelled with Hochul's speechwriter over the draft as the latter wanted to include a reference to the "Uyghur situation" in China.

Sun assured that she would not let it happen. The final draft, according to the indictment, did not touch upon the Muslim ethnic minority and the alleged human rights abuses of the community in China.

The benefits

In exchange for her actions, Sun and her husband allegedly received benefits including millions of dollars in transactions for Hu's business activities in China.

Sun and Hu allegedly used the money to purchase a 2024 Ferrari Roma sports car and properties worth about US$6 million (S$7.8 million) on New York's Long Island and in Honolulu.

Other gifts supposedly include undisclosed tickets to shows by visiting Chinese orchestra and ballet groups, as well as Nanjing-style salted ducks prepared by a Chinese government official's personal chef and delivered to Sun's parents' home.

Fired in March 2023

Sun was fired from her position in March 2023 after evidence of her misconduct surfaced, and was immediately reported to the authorities.

She faces eight counts, including failure to register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act and money laundering conspiracy.

Her husband faces three counts, including bank fraud and money-laundering conspiracy.

The couple pleaded not guilty to the charges before U.S. Magistrate Judge Peggy Kuo in Brooklyn.

Kuo ordered Sun released on US$1.5 million (S$1.96 million) bond and Hu on US$500,000 (S$653,230) bond.

The pair's next court appearance is on Sep. 25, 2024.

Top image via @LindaSun84/X