Top Aide to 2 NY Governors Charged with Being a Spy for Communist Regime in China

A former top aide who worked for two New York governors is facing charges of secretly helping the communist regime in China and receiving millions of dollars in cash and perks in return.

Linda Sun walked out of a Brooklyn Federal Court charged with acting as an undercover agent for Beijing.

The feds say the 41-year-old Chinese-born U.S. citizen used her position as a former aide to New York governors Kathy Hochul and Andrew Cuomo to help the Chinese government directly.

"She allegedly used her government roles to quietly push China's agenda," Larry Neumeister with the Associated Press explained.

The 65-page indictment has Sun facing 10 criminal counts, including money laundering, and visa fraud, trying to block New York state officials from meeting with Taiwanese government representatives and changing some of the state's policy messaging to benefit the communist government's priorities.

"These actions reportedly gave China influence in New York's government for nearly a decade," said Neumeister.

Governor Hochul expressed outrage at the betrayal and said Sun was fired the moment misconduct was discovered.

In exchange for acting as a foreign agent, Sun and her husband Chris Hu, charged as a co-conspirator, received millions of dollars in Chinese kickbacks, allowing the couple to splurge on multi-million dollar homes in Hawaii and Long Island, buy a 2024 Ferrari, enjoy travel benefits, tickets to events, and on 16 different occasions reportedly got Nanjing-style salted ducks specially prepared by the personal chef of a Chinese government official.

Breon Peace, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, said, "Sun wielded her position of influence among executives to covertly promote PRC and CCP agendas, directly threatening our country's national security."

Prosecutors say Sun "actively concealed that she took actions at the order, request, or direction" of CCP officials.

"This case is part of a broader effort by the Justice Department to uncover secret Chinese agents in the U.S.," said Neumeister.

The couple pleaded not guilty to all 10 charges in federal court Tuesday afternoon.