A former deputy chief of staff to Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY) and her husband were arrested Tuesday, according to a law enforcement official.
The two taken into custody were identified as ex-Hochul staffer Linda Sun and her husband, businessman Chris Hu, whom the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) took into custody, NBC New York reported:
“The FBI and a spokesman for the Eastern District of New York both confirmed the arrests but declined to comment on the nature of the charges,” the outlet said.
The couple was arrested on Long Island. Right now, the charges against them are being kept under seal, the New York Post reported Tuesday.
“Law enforcement sources say the arrest was part of a corruption probe unrelated to the governor. Sun was first hired to work in the governor’s office by then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo,” the Post article said.
The FBI raided the couple’s $3.5 million Long Island home in July, but at the time the pair had not been accused of criminal wrongdoing, according to Breitbart News.
This outlet noted it was unclear at the time if authorities seized anything from the residence that was placed in a trust in March.
Video footage shows officials outside the house and entering it with equipment:
The Breitbart News article continued:
According to her LinkedIn, Sun most recently worked as a campaign manager for Austin Cheng, a Democrat who ran for New York’s third congressional district before withdrawing from the race in December 2023.
Sun has also had multiple “diversity officer” jobs in recent years, including within the New York State Department of Financial Services and the New York State Executive Chamber.
Per the NBC report, the couple is expected to appear on Tuesday afternoon in a Brooklyn federal court.
“While detail of the charges in this case have not been released, the Eastern District and FBI have built several other recent cases involving China and alleged violations of the Foreign Agents Registration Act here,” the article said.
“As alleged, while appearing to serve the people of New York as Deputy Chief of Staff within the New York State Executive Chamber, the defendant and her husband actually worked to further the interests of the Chinese government and the CCP,” said U.S. Attorney Breon Peace in a statement.
“The illicit scheme enriched the defendant’s family to the tune of millions of dollars.”
Among the accusations leveled against Sun, officials accused her of blocking Taiwanese government representatives from having access to the state’s high-level officers and “changing high-level New York State officers’ messaging regarding issues of importance to the PRC and the CCP.”
Read the full indictment here
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