Ex-aide to New York governor charged with acting as Chinese agent

NEW YORK (Reuters) -- A former aide to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has been charged with acting as an undisclosed agent of the Chinese government, federal prosecutors in Brooklyn said.

Prosecutors said Linda Sun, 41, was arrested on Tuesday and is expected to be presented in court later in the day. Sun's husband Chris Hu also faces criminal charges.

While working in state government, Sun allegedly blocked representatives of the Taiwanese government from meeting with officials, and allegedly sought to arrange for a high-level New York state official to visit China.

In exchange, prosecutors said Chinese government representatives facilitated millions of dollars in transactions for Hu, 40, who had business activities in China.

The couple used the money to buy a 2024 Ferrari Roma sports car as well as property on New York's Long Island and in Honolulu together worth about $6 million, prosecutors said

Other gifts included Nanjing-style salted ducks prepared by a Chinese government official's personal chef and delivered to the home of Sun's parents, prosecutors said.

Lawyers for Sun and Hu did not immediately respond to requests for comment. A spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Sun became Hochul's deputy chief of staff in September 2021, after working in various state agencies.

Hochul's office fired Sun in March 2023 after discovering evidence of misconduct, a spokesperson for the governor said.

The office "immediately reported her actions to law enforcement and have assisted law enforcement throughout this process," the spokesperson said.

The U.S. Department of Justice has in recent years cracked down on people accused of working on behalf of adversaries such as China