NY Governor's former deputy chief of staff is arrested by FBI for being a Chinese agent after dawn raid on her $4.1m home

The FBI has arrested the erstwhile lawman main of unit of New York Governor Kathy Hochul and her hubby pursuing a raid astatine their home.

Linda Sun, 41, and her hubby Chris Hu, 40, were taking into custody connected Tuesday in Manhasset, Long Island, aft their $4.1m five-bedroom mansion was searched successful July by national officials.

She is accused of enriching herself and her household by acting arsenic an undisclosed cause of the Chinese Communist Party, national prosecutors revealed successful a sprawling indictment.

Sun is charged with blocking representatives of the Taiwanese authorities from having entree to high-level New York State officers and changing messaging connected issues that progressive the CCP.

Prosecutors assertion she utilized the proceeds of her amerciable enactment to bargain the Manhasset location arsenic good arsenic a $2.1 cardinal condo successful Hawaii and luxury vehicles including a 2024 Ferrari. 

Sun and her hubby are besides charged with laundering the proceeds of their amerciable activities. Hu is besides charged with conspiracy to perpetrate slope fraud and misuse of means of identification.

The mates is expected to look successful Brooklyn tribunal connected Tuesday afternoon.

A 63-page indictment alleges that Sun 'repeatedly violated interior rules and protocols' of the NY governor's bureau to 'provide improper benefits' to China and the Communist Party, according to the Department of Justice.

US lawyer Breon Peace said: 'As alleged, portion appearing to service the radical of New York arsenic Deputy Chief of Staff wrong the New York State Executive Chamber, the suspect and her hubby really worked to further the interests of the Chinese authorities and the CCP.

'The illicit strategy enriched the defendant’s household to the tune of millions of dollars. Our Office volition enactment decisively to prosecute those who service arsenic undisclosed agents of a overseas government.' 

Sun allegedly received benefits including assistance for Hu’s China-based concern activities and undisclosed tickets to performances by visiting Chinese orchestra and ballet groups, the indictment says. 

A Chinese authorities official’s idiosyncratic cook prepared “Nanjing-style salted ducks” that were delivered to Sun’s parents’ home, it adds.

The mates purchased the location successful a gated assemblage called Stone Hill successful 2021. Earlier this year, they placed the location successful a trust, records show. 

Sun worked successful authorities authorities for astir 15 years, archetypal arsenic the main of unit for New York State Assembly subordinate Grace Meng, who is present a subordinate of congress.

Sun past held posts successful the medication of erstwhile Governor Andrew Cuomo including arsenic Global New York Trade Manager, Asian Outreach Director for the Office of the Governor and Queens Regional Representative.

In September 2021 she was appointed arsenic the lawman main of unit for Hochul, according to her LinkedIn profile. She remained connected the relation for astir 15 months.

In November of 2022 she moved to a occupation astatine the New York Department of Labor, wherever she served arsenic lawman commissioner for strategical concern development, but she departed that occupation conscionable months aboriginal successful March of 2023, the illustration said. 

A idiosyncratic acquainted with the circumstances of her departure told the Associated Press she was fired aft grounds of misconduct was discovered. 

The substance was forwarded to instrumentality enforcement astatine the time, according to the person, who spoke to The Associated Press connected information of anonymity due to the fact that they were not authorized to publically sermon unit matters. The idiosyncratic declined to item the quality of the alleged misconduct. 

After leaving authorities government, Sun went to enactment arsenic run manager for Democrat Austin Cheng successful an unsuccessful tally for Congress connected Long Island. 

In a statement, a spokesperson for Hochul’s bureau said the medication fired Sun aft 'discovering grounds of misconduct.'

'This idiosyncratic was hired by the Executive Chamber much than a decennary ago. We terminated her employment successful March 2023 aft discovering grounds of misconduct, instantly reported her actions to instrumentality enforcement and person assisted instrumentality enforcement passim this process,' the connection reads.

Sun's apprehension comes aft national prosecutors issued subpoenas to NYC Mayor Eric Adams, his run limb and City Hall successful a probe into the Democrat’s 2021 run.

The subpoenas requested accusation astir the mayor’s schedule, his overseas question and imaginable connections to the Turkish government, according to a idiosyncratic with cognition of the subpoena. 

Adams, a retired constabulary captain, has said that helium had done thing incorrect and reiterated that helium and his squad are cooperating with the inquiry. 

The subpoenas, archetypal reported by The New York Times, are the latest improvement successful a probe that has formed a unreality implicit the person of America’s astir populous city.

The probe surfaced publically successful November, erstwhile Adams’ phones and physics tablet were seized and agents raided the location of a apical fundraiser. 

Prosecutors person been mum astir the investigation, but The Times reported successful November that it had obtained a hunt warrant indicating that investigators were eyeing, among different things, whether the Adams run conspired with the Turkish authorities to person donations from overseas sources, funneled done straw donors.