A former senior aide to two New York governors has been charged with acting as a secret agent for the Chinese government by United States authorities.
Linda Sun, a former deputy chief of staff to New York Governor Kathy Hochul and former Governor Andrew Cuomo, was charged on multiple counts along with her husband and co-defendant, Chris Hu, according to the US attorney general. The couple are naturalised US citizens.
This comes amid rising scrutiny in the US over foreign influence operations that have been dismissed and rejected by China.
Sun, 41, was charged with violating and conspiring to violate the Foreign Agents Registration Act, visa fraud, alien smuggling and money laundering conspiracy, according to an unsealed copy of the 64-page indictment.
Hu, her 40-year-old husband, was also charged with money laundering conspiracy and conspiracy to commit bank fraud as well as misusing means of identification, according to prosecutors.
The couple’s home on Long Island was raided by federal investigators in July, and Sun had been terminated from the governor’s office for more than a year after officials were alerted of suspicious activity.
Both have pleaded not guilty and were set to be freed after setting bond, which amounted to $1.5m for Sun and $500,000 for Hu. They have been instructed not to have any contact with the Chinese consulate and embassy, and their travel is limited to New York City, Long Island, Maine and New Hampshire.
Sun worked in the US state’s government for about 15 years, holding positions in the administration of Cuomo before becoming Hochul’s deputy chief of staff, according to public employment records and her LinkedIn profile. She acted as an undisclosed agent of the People’s Republic of China and the Chinese Communist Party and engaged in political activities to further Chinese interests, according to the US Attorney’s Office in New York.
Credit: Aljazeera.com
