Linda Sun, a former adviser to New York Governor Kathy Hochul, and her husband are accused of spying for the People’s Republic of China to fund their lavish lifestyle. The indictment, unsealed by the Justice Department, alleges that the couple traded travel grants, ballet and concert tickets for leaking classified information and promoting China’s political agenda. The charges also include arranging meetings with high-ranking officials and blocking access to Taiwanese government representatives.
ISTANBUL (AA)– Experts described the actions of Linda Sun, a former adviser to New York Governor Kathy Hochul who is accused of working for China, as China’s “classic spy tactic.”
Experts speaking to NBC News evaluated the 64-page indictment released by the U.S. Justice Department on Sept. 3 against Sun, who is accused of acting as an undercover agent of the Chinese government and the Chinese Communist Party.
Former CIA official Dennis Wilder told NBC News that he viewed the case against Sun as a “typical” example of China’s intelligence tactics.
Describing Sun’s actions as China’s “classic spy tactic,” Wilder said that choosing people who have significant connections to China, hold American citizenship, speak Chinese and have family in China is China’s classic intelligence method.
Wilder also underlined that a person working for New York Governor Hochul would be “useful for China” because he would be in a position to block the Taiwanese government’s access to senior New York state officials.
Craig Singleton, a senior China expert at the US-based Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), also said the Sun case was an example of how China uses “covert actors” to interfere with US political decisions.
Singleton said the accusations against Sun reveal China’s strategy to exploit trust in political circles to infiltrate and influence every level of the U.S. administration.
– “Secretly” included a Chinese official in a private online meeting
The indictment published by the Ministry of Justice on September 3rd included allegations that the former advisor leaked information to China.
According to the indictment, which alleges that Sun abused his high-ranking position in the U.S. government, the former adviser “secretly” included a Chinese official in a private online meeting to discuss rising hate crimes against Asian Americans during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
The indictment said Sun repeatedly warned the Chinese official to turn off his phone microphone during the meeting.
Also, former consultant and her husband Chris Hu, Tickets or travel grants to events such as ballets and concerts in exchange for covertly supporting the Chinese government’s agendaIt was stated that he gained many benefits such as.
Sun and his wife also allegedly laundered money to buy two properties in New York and Hawaii worth approximately $5.5 million and a 2024 Ferrari.
– Accusations against the couple
Sun was accused of acting as a secret agent of the People’s Republic of China and the Chinese Communist Party, engaging in political activities at their request, such as “blocking Taiwanese government representatives from accessing senior New York State officials” and “covertly promoting the Chinese government’s agenda.”
Sun allegedly tried to arrange meetings with New York government officials for official delegations from China.
Sun’s husband, Chris Hu, will also be tried on charges of accessory to a crime, money laundering, bank fraud and misuse of identity information.
Sun and his wife Hu were detained by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) at their Long Island home on September 3.
Yesterday, the court decided that the couple, who did not accept the charges, would set their total bail at $2 million.
The couple’s next hearing date was set for September 25, with their travel rights restricted.
