NEW YORK (AP) — A former aide to two New York governors went on trial Wednesday on charges she sold her influence to the Chinese government and illegally profited from the state’s bulk purchase of face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Linda Sun and her husband, Chris Hu, were arrested last year during a U.S. crackdown on alleged Chinese secret agents. They were charged again in June as part of the government’s efforts to root out pandemic fraud.
“Linda Sun was for sale,” prosecutor Amanda Shami told jurors in an opening statement.
Sun and Hu made millions of dollars from their illicit conduct and reaped other rewards, including Nanjing-style salted ducks, a delicacy prepared by a Chinese official's personal chef and delivered to Sun’s parents’ New York home, prosecutors said.
“The evidence will show the defendants’ greed. The evidence will show the defendants’ betrayal," Shami said.
Sun, a naturalized U.S. citizen born in China, held numerous posts over a roughly 15-year career in state government, including as deputy chief of staff to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and deputy diversity officer under former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, both Democrats.
Sun has pleaded not guilty to charges alleging she failed to register as an agent of a foreign government, conspired with her husband to commit money laundering and helped people commit visa fraud to enter the U.S. illegally.
Hu has pleaded not guilty to charges including money laundering, tax evasion, conspiracy to commit bank fraud and misuse of identification. Neither has been charged with espionage.
They both pleaded not guilty to bribery and other charges in the alleged mask scheme.
Sun’s lawyer, Jarrod L. Schaeffer, told jurors the charges “assault everything she's built her life around.”
Sun, he said, was a proud American and a loyal public servant who only dealt with China in an official, legal capacity, including as a liaison to the Asian community.
“Linda Sun did what she was hired to do. That’s what the evidence will show," Schaeffer said in his opening statement in Brooklyn federal court. “She didn't commit a crime by doing her job.”
Schaeffer called Sun’s foreign agent charge “nonsense,” telling jurors: “Linda did not have to register as a foreign agent because she is not one."
In court filings ahead of the trial, Schaeffer argued the government had charged her because she and her family “had too much money” and that the case is filled with “glaring inconsistencies."
Judge Brian Cogan has said he expects the trial to take about a month.
Federal prosecutors allege Sun acted at the request of Chinese officials to block Taiwanese government representatives from having access to the governor’s office and shaped the state’s messaging to align with Chinese government priorities, among other things.
Among the evidence, Shami said, were messages showing Sun “bragging to the Chinese consulate” about blocking Taiwan's access and invitations to Chinese officials bearing Hochul’s forged signature. Hu, the prosecutor said, kept a spreadsheet of expected kickbacks and tried opening a bank account in his mother-in-law's name to launder the proceeds.
In return, Hu got help for his business activities in China, which prosecutors said allowed the couple to buy their multimillion-dollar Long Island home, a $1.9 million Hawaii condominium, and luxury cars including a 2024 Ferrari.
Sun and Hu are also accused of pocketing millions in kickbacks by exploiting her role on a Cuomo administration team that procured much-needed personal protective equipment as COVID-19 was taking hold in 2020.
“Not only did Linda Sun betray New York state government by working for the Chinese government, the defendant betrayed New Yorkers when they were most vulnerable,” Shami told jurors.
Sun used her ties to wrangle PPE, connecting the state with vendors the Chinese government recommended. But, prosecutors said, she also forged documents to falsely claim that Chinese contacts had suggested two additional companies — One run by Sun’s cousin, the other by Hu's business associate.
Sun didn’t disclose those relationships to New York’s government, which signed contracts with the companies in March 2020 and paid them more than $44 million, prosecutors said. The cousin funneled about $2.3 million to Hu, prosecutors said.
Asked about Sun at a congressional hearing in September 2024, Cuomo said: “She was a junior member in my team. I wouldn’t recognize her if she was in this room today.”
Hochul's office said the administration fired her after “discovering evidence of misconduct."
“This individual was hired by the Executive Chamber more than a decade ago. We terminated her employment in March 2023 after discovering evidence of misconduct, immediately reported her actions to law enforcement and have assisted law enforcement throughout this process,” the statement said.
