Who is Kathy Hochul's Chinese 'spy' Linda Sun? Ivy League graduate 'infiltrated government' to pump taxpayer money into COVID crisis

As revealed last night, a high-ranking New York government official allegedly worked as a Chinese spy while pumping taxpayer money into masks and ventilators during the Covid pandemic.

Linda Sun, an Ivy League graduate who has worked for Democratic governors Andrew Cuomo and Kathy Hochul, was dramatically arrested along with her husband in a raid on their $4 million Long Island mansion on Tuesday.

Sun and her husband, Christopher Hu, are accused of receiving millions in bribes from the Chinese Communist Party to fund a lavish lifestyle that included a $2 million condo in Hawaii and a 2024 Ferrari.

Now it has emerged that, according to her now-deleted LinkedIn profile, Sun boasted about “leading” the New York government's purchase of personal protective equipment (PPE) and ventilators during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Meanwhile, her husband Hu, who is accused of laundering the couple's money, founded a medical supplies company around the time of the pandemic.

Sun is also accused of abusing her influence to advance China's geopolitical agenda by refusing to meet with Taiwanese politicians and avoiding any criticism of Beijing's persecution of Uighur Muslims in her messages.

The couple's five-bedroom, $4 mansion in Manhasset, New York, was raided by the FBI on Tuesday morning

Sun's reputation among Chinese government officials was so good that she was able to arrange for Nanjing-style salted ducks – prepared by the personal chef of a party official – to be delivered to her parents' house.

The sensational 65-page indictment comes against the backdrop of growing fears of China's growing influence throughout the United States – for example through the purchase of vast tracts of farmland and the investment of millions in school construction.

The couple appeared stony-faced as they left the courtroom on Tuesday afternoon. Both pleaded not guilty, while their lawyer described the charges against them as “puzzling.”

Sun's bail was set at $1.5 million and her husband's at $500,000. They were banned from traveling beyond New York City, Long Island, Maine and New Hampshire.

The indictment states that Sun “acted as an undisclosed agent of the Chinese government while her husband, Christopher Hu, facilitated the transfer of millions of dollars in bribes for personal gain.”

Hu is known for owning several businesses, including a liquor store in Queens, in addition to a medical company founded during the pandemic.

In her now-deleted LinkedIn profile, Sun touted her role in New York's response to the pandemic, boasting that she was “the driving force behind New York's procurement of personal protective equipment against COVID-19.”

At the same time, it was revealed that the city government had spent far too much money on medical equipment for the pandemic. According to the city, this led to surplus personal protective equipment worth $225 million being auctioned off last year for just $500,000.

According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, over 70 percent of America's personal protective equipment was made in China.

Sun is pictured above being honored at an event at the People's Republic of China Consulate. The photo is part of the Justice Department's indictment.

Linda Sun, a former high-ranking New York government official, is accused by prosecutors of influencing the government on behalf of the CCP.

According to the prosecution, the significant flow of money and power through New York politics created an ideal environment for the CCP to exert influence through Sun.

During Sun's time in Albany – before she was fired for “misconduct” in March 2023 – she was accused of various conspiracy with the CCP, including denying Taiwanese officials access to the governor's office.

She is also accused of altering government messages in favor of the Chinese, removing all references to Taiwan and ensuring that officials did not publicly address the CCP's persecution of Uighur Muslims in China.

In one of the interactions alleged in the indictment, Governor Hochul was invited to meet with the ambassador of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office, to which Sun responded, “Please no meeting… I ask you to decline. I don't want her to interfere in this China/Taiwan sensitivity.”

In another alleged blockade incident in 2019, Sun reportedly told representatives of Tsai Ing-wen, then-President of Taiwan, that Governor Cuomo would not be able to meet with her during Ing-wen's controversial visit.

She then reportedly wrote to a Chinese government official: “I have already blocked it.”

On the same day, she was photographed at a protest rally in Manhattan against the visit of the Taiwanese prime minister.

Sun at a protest against the Taiwanese president's visit to New York in 2019, according to prosecutors

In addition to the alleged millions of dollars that Sun received for his actions, it is also alleged that he facilitated the delivery of “Nanjing-style salted ducks.”

The delivery of the special ducks occurred on at least three separate occasions and was part of a series of bribes that prosecutors say link Sun to the influence of the Chinese Communist Party.

It is not clear when Sun began working for the CCP, according to prosecutors, as her career in New York politics spanned nearly 15 years.

She began in 2009 as chief of staff to Grace Meng, a member of the New York State Assembly and now a congresswoman.

Beginning in 2012, Sun held various positions in former Governor Andrew Cuomo's administration, including Global New York Trade Manager, Asian Outreach Director for the Governor's Office, and Queens Regional Representative.

In 2018, the Cuomo administration appointed Sun as chief diversity officer before appointing her as deputy chief of staff to Hochul in September 2021, according to her LinkedIn profile. She remained in the position for about 15 months.

In November 2022, she moved to a position at the New York Department of Labor, where she served as deputy commissioner for strategic business development, but left that position just months later in March 2023, the profile said.

After leaving state government, Sun worked as campaign manager for Democrat Austin Cheng during his unsuccessful run for Congress on Long Island.

Hochul's spokesman told the New York Times that Sun “was discontinued by the Executive Chamber more than a decade ago.”

He added that the governor's administration “promptly reported its actions to law enforcement and supported them throughout the process.”

She was fired in March 2023 after officials uncovered evidence of misconduct.

Before working in government, she attended Barnard College before pursuing a master's degree in education at Columbia University.

In September 2021, Sun was appointed Deputy Chief of Staff to Governor Hochul.

Sun, who served earlier in her career, was fired by Hochul in March 2023 after “discovering evidence of misconduct.”

Sun's arrest came after federal prosecutors issued subpoenas to New York Mayor Eric Adams, his campaign arm and City Hall as part of an investigation into the Democrat's 2021 candidacy, which allegedly has ties to the Turkish government.

Moreover, this happened just weeks after 75-year-old Shajun Wang of Queens was convicted in federal court in Brooklyn of spying for the CCP.

According to the Times, three men in New Jersey were also convicted last summer after stalking a family on behalf of the CCP.