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Inside the downfall of Linda Sun, accused Chinese spy who worked for NY governors
By
Jon Campbell
Published Apr 12, 2025
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Catalina Gonella
By
Jon Campbell
Published Apr 12, 2025
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The alleged Chinese agent who worked as an aide to Gov. Kathy Hochul landed on authorities' radar after she improperly obtained official proclamations for her father, a family friend and a Chinese government official, according to a document newly obtained by Gothamist.
A February 2023 letter from state Inspector General Lucy Lang, which Gothamist obtained through an open-records request, sheds new light on actions by Linda Sun, a former aide to Hochul and former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, that drew suspicion from a colleague and set the stage for a federal investigation that resulted in still-pending criminal charges against her.
The letter summarizes the findings of an investigation into Sun’s efforts to obtain the proclamations — ceremonial documents that mark an event or achievement — from Hochul’s office. The probe found Sun requested the documents directly from an employee in the governor’s correspondence unit, and they were never logged in a state tracking system.
That includes a proclamation that Sun — who was by then a deputy commissioner for the state Department of Labor — later presented to now-former Chinese Consul General for New York Huang Ping at a public event now at the center of her federal case.
“Sun admitted that she did not advise DOL about the proclamation, that her attendance at the event did not relate to her job responsibilities at DOL, and that she did not receive permission from the [Governor’s Office] to attend or participate in the event,” Lang wrote in the letter, which was addressed to state Department of Labor Commissioner Roberta Reardon and the head of the state ethics board.
Sun, who was hired by Cuomo’s office and promoted by Hochul’s office before joining the state labor department, was fired within days of the letter.
A year-and-a-half later, federal authorities accused Sun of repeatedly taking action on behalf of Chinese officials in exchange for help establishing her husband’s seafood business in China, which prosecutors say enriched the couple “to the tune of millions of dollars” that they spent on homes in Honolulu and on Long Island and expensive vehicles, including a Ferrari.
Sun’s attorney has filed a motion to dismiss her case, accusing federal authorities of “fishing for corruption.” The motion claims the allegations that Sun acted as a Chinese agent are “weak fiction.” Sun’s husband, Chris Hu, was also charged. Both have pleaded not guilty.
Sun obtained three gubernatorial proclamations within a six-day stretch in early January 2023, according to Lang’s letter, including one for a “staff member at a foreign government entity in New York City,” which matches the description of Huang, the former consul general.
The other two were to mark the birthdays of Sun’s father and a close family friend she considered an uncle. She wanted to present the framed proclamations to them at a joint birthday party “because they were both born in a 'Year of the Rabbit,'" according to the letter.
Lang wrote that Sun didn’t get permission from her bosses or the governor’s office to obtain the proclamations. Initially, Sun said she couldn’t recall requesting any framed proclamations after she left the governor’s office in 2022. She changed her story when presented with the dates of her requests, Lang wrote.
The letter shows how quickly it all unraveled. Sun requested the proclamations on Jan. 3 and Jan. 9 of 2023. About two weeks later, an employee in the governor’s office filed a complaint with Lang’s office. Lang sent her letter on Feb. 22, and Sun was fired March 1.
In response to a request for comment from Gothamist, Sun’s attorney, Jarrod Schaeffer, suggested it wasn’t Sun’s fault the proclamations were never logged.
“This matter appears to have arisen from confusion within the Executive Chamber’s Office of Correspondence, which handles requests for proclamations that are routinely issued to recognize many things, including holidays,” Schaeffer said in a statement. “The matter ultimately was brought to Ms. Sun’s attention and she agreed to return the proclamations.”
Lang’s letter summarizes an interview with Sun, which made clear Sun knew that official proclamations are “never presented to an individual,” such as her family members.
“Sun also acknowledged that framed proclamations were only used for special occasions — mainly when proclamations are going to be presented by the governor,” Lang wrote.
A spokesperson for Lang declined comment on the letter, citing the ongoing federal case.
Hochul has previously said her office referred Sun’s case to federal authorities, which launched the investigation that ended with Sun’s arrest.
Among other things, the feds accused Sun of blocking state officials from meeting with Taiwanese officials, providing a Chinese official with surreptitious access to a private conference call Cuomo held during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, and providing Huang with the proclamation.
After Sun’s arrest, Hochul said she was made aware Sun had obtained the proclamation without proper approval.
“That's wildly inappropriate,” the governor said. “No one should be doing that.”
Tagged
Kathy Hochul
new york state
Politics
andrew cuomo
Jon Campbell
Jon Campbell covers the New York State Capitol for WNYC and Gothamist. Prior to that, he covered the Capitol for more than a decade for the USA TODAY Network. He has twice earned the Walter T. Brown Memorial Award, an honor given annually by the Legislative Correspondents Association alumni for outstanding state government coverage. Jon grew up in the Buffalo area and graduated from the University at Albany. Got a tip? Email Jon at [email protected] or Signal at JonCampbellNY.90.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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