Linda Sun, the Chinese American political aide accused this week of acting as an agent of Beijing, rose rapidly in New York state politics on her way to a job as deputy chief of staff to Governor Kathy Hochul.
She climbed the ladder with stints as public relations director to a Taiwanese American member of Congress and an assignment as the deputy chief diversity officer in the office of the previous governor.
But according to the indictment made public this week, she used her position to tamp down public criticism of China's treatment of its Uyghur minority and to prevent interactions between Taiwanese government officials and senior New York state officials.
In return, the indictment alleges, Beijing rewarded her with millions of dollars in bribes and business deals.
Sun and her husband, Chris Hu, were arrested Tuesday, accused of violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act by illegally acting as agents of the Chinese government. Other charges include visa fraud, alien smuggling and money laundering conspiracy. Hu was also charged with conspiracy to commit bank fraud and abuse of identification.
Court appearance
The two naturalized U.S. citizens made their first appearance in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York in Brooklyn on Tuesday. During the arraignment, they pleaded not guilty and were released on a combined $2 million bail. They are not allowed to travel outside New York, New Hampshire and Maine.
In a statement shared with VOA Mandarin, Chinese Embassy spokesperson Liu Pengyu dismissed the allegations.
"I am not aware of the specific details. But in recent years, the U.S. government and media have frequently hyped up the so-called 'Chinese agents' narratives, many of which have later been proven untrue," he said.
He added that "China requires its citizens overseas to comply with the laws and regulations of the host country, and we firmly oppose the groundless slandering and smearing targeting China."
Barnard graduate
Sun was born in China in 1983 and moved to the U.S. with her parents at age 5. She is fluent in Chinese.
She got her undergraduate degree in political science from Barnard College in 2006. According to a campus magazine, she first got involved in public service at age 8 by translating forms and filing tax returns for her parents.
She obtained her master's degree in education from Columbia University in 2009, but her path turned to politics.
In 2008, she met Grace Meng, the U.S. representative for New York's 6th Congressional District. Meng was campaigning at the time and was said to be impressed by Sun's energy and initiative.
Sun joined Meng's campaign as public relations director and then became chief of staff for the Taiwanese American congresswoman.
In 2012, Sun became the director of Asian American Affairs and Queens regional representative in the governor's office. She also served as the deputy chief diversity officer in former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo's administration from 2018 to 2020 and then was deputy chief of staff to Hochul from 2021 to 2022.
Alleged effort to silence
As a deputy chief diversity officer, she called on ethnic minorities to have a seat at the table through government programs.
However, according to the indictment, Sun sought to silence voices in the U.S. speaking out for China's Uyghur Muslim minority, whom the Chinese government has long been accused of oppressing. She allegedly had an argument with Hochul's speechwriter, who had insisted the then-lieutenant governor should mention the Uyghur situation in China in a Lunar New Year speech to the Chinese American community.
The indictment said Sun successfully prevented Taiwanese government officials, including former Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, from interacting with senior New York state officials, while facilitating Chinese delegations' trips to the U.S. with fraudulent invitation letters.
In return for Sun's political assistance, the indictment says, the Chinese government financially rewarded her with millions of dollars and aided Hu's commercial activities in China.
Using the illegal funds, the couple is alleged to have bought a 2024 Ferrari, a $2.1 million apartment in Hawaii and a $3.55 million Long Island single-family home.
Sun and Hu are scheduled to next appear in court on September 25.
Adrianna Zhang and Adam Xu contributed to this report.
