Linda Sun, Beijing Agent in the U.S.; She and Her Husband Charged with Fraud, Trafficking, and Money Laundering

Linda Sun, a dual Chinese-American citizen, was accused this week in the U.S. of acting as an agent for Beijing and quickly rose in the political landscape of New York State towards the position of Deputy Chief of Staff for the Governor's Office. Prior to this, she rapidly climbed the career ladder from managing public relations for a member of Congress to serving as the Deputy Director of Cultural Diversity in the office of the former Governor of New York. However, according to an indictment made public this week, she allegedly abused her position to reduce public criticism of China's treatment of the Uyghur minority and to prevent engagement between Taiwanese government officials and senior New York officials. Other charges against her and her husband, Chris Ho, include visa fraud, trafficking of foreign nationals, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Ho is also accused of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and identity theft. The indictment claims that Sun and her husband received millions of dollars in bribes or business contracts in exchange for their services to the Chinese government. Sun and Ho, who have accepted U.S. citizenship, were arrested on Tuesday, September 4, for violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act and for illegal activities as agents of the Chinese government. They appeared for the first time in the Eastern District Court of New York that same day, pleaded not guilty, and were released on a $2 million bail but are prohibited from traveling outside New York, New Hampshire, and Maine. Linda Sun was born in 1983 in China and immigrated to the United States with her parents at the age of five. She received a bachelor's degree in political science from Barnard College in 2007 and later earned her master's degree in education from Columbia University in 2019. In 2008, she met Grace Meng, a U.S. Representative from New York's 6th Congressional District, and joined Meng's campaign as a public relations manager, subsequently becoming the Chief of Staff for Taiwanese-American women representatives in Congress. In 2012, she became the Director of Asian American Affairs and the Queens representative in the Governor's Office and worked as the Deputy Chief of Cultural Diversity in the administration of former Governor Andrew Cuomo from 2018 to 2020. From 2021 to 2022, she served as the Deputy Chief of Staff for Kathy Hochul, the Governor of New York. As the Deputy Chief of Cultural Diversity, she called for ethnic minorities to have a place in government programs, but according to the indictment, she sought to silence voices in the U.S. speaking out about the Uyghur Muslim minority, which China has long been accused of suppressing. The indictment also mentions that Sun prevented interactions between Taiwanese government officials, including Tsai Ing-wen, the former President of Taiwan, and senior New York officials while facilitating travel for Chinese delegations to the U.S. with fake invitations. It has been reported that Sun and Ho purchased a 2024 Ferrari, a $2.1 million apartment in Hawaii, and a $3.55 million house in Long Island using financial rewards and assistance from the Chinese government for their business activities. The next court date for the couple will be on September 26. One former aide to the Governor of New York has also been accused of 'acting in favor of the Chinese government.'