{"id":2336670,"date":"2024-09-04T14:32:02","date_gmt":"2024-09-04T18:32:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/heres-what-former-hochul-aide-linda-sun-received-for-alleged-actions-as-chinese-foreign-agent-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-09-04T14:35:57","modified_gmt":"2024-09-04T18:35:57","slug":"heres-what-former-hochul-aide-linda-sun-received-for-alleged-actions-as-chinese-foreign-agent-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/heres-what-former-hochul-aide-linda-sun-received-for-alleged-actions-as-chinese-foreign-agent-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Here\u2019s what former Hochul aide Linda Sun received for alleged actions as Chinese foreign agent &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">36<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fheres-what-former-hochul-aide-linda-sun-received-for-alleged-actions-as-chinese-foreign-agent-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2336670&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Linda Sun, a former aide \u200bto New York \u2064Governor Kathy \u200dHochul, has \u200cbeen indicted for allegedly acting as a foreign \u2063agent for the Chinese\u2062 government. The indictment \u200boutlines various accusations against Sun, \u200dincluding\u2062 influencing New York\u200b officials&#8217; policies for the benefit of China\u200b and facilitating communication between Chinese officials and state leaders. Notably, during the COVID-19 pandemic, she \u200cinvited\u2064 a Chinese official to eavesdrop\u200b on a government call \u2063concerning public safety and allegedly obstructed formal meetings with Taiwanese\u2064 officials.<\/p>\n<p>The indictment details significant gifts and financial benefits that Sun reportedly received\u200d from the Chinese government in return for her actions. Her financial gain included purchasing luxury properties, such as a \u200d$3.6 million home in Long Island and a $1.9 million condo\u2062 in Hawaii, without taking out mortgages for\u200d these purchases. \u2063Additionally, Sun is \u2062said to\u200b have acquired several high-end\u2062 vehicles,\u2063 including \u200ca Ferrari and a Range Rover.<\/p>\n<p>She faces multiple charges, including violating the Foreign Agents\u200b Registration Act \u2062and visa fraud. Sun&#8217;s \u200dhusband, Chris Hu, has also been indicted on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/chinese-national-sentenced-for-aiding-drug-traffickers\/\" title=\"Chinese National Sentenced for Aiding Drug Traffickers\">money laundering charges<\/a> linked to their financial dealings with the\u200d Chinese government. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/judge-in-trump-insurrectionist-ballot-appearance-trial-donated-to-group-formed-to-prevent-violent-insurrections-after-j6\/\" title=\"Judge in Trump &#039;Insurrectionist&#039; Ballot Appearance Trial Donated to Anti-Insurrection Group After J6\">case raises \u2064concerns<\/a> about foreign influence in state politics and the implications of such actions on U.S. national security.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Here&rsquo;s what former Hochul aide Linda Sun received for alleged actions as Chinese foreign agent<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1745151\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>Linda Sun, a former aide to Gov. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/kathy-hochul\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Kathy Hochul<\/a> (D-NY), allegedly received a treasure trove of gifts from the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/china\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Chinese<\/a> government for her actions <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/crime\/3141293\/former-hochul-aide-arrested\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>revealed <\/a>in an unsealed indictment on Tuesday.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>Among many allegations, she allegedly took pointers from Chinese government officials and influenced the policy and messaging of high-ranking New York officials to China&rsquo;s benefit. Her husband, Chris Hu, was also indicted on money laundering charges, among other things.<\/p>\n<p>Here&rsquo;s a rundown of what authorities accuse Sun of doing and what she received in return.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Sun&rsquo;s alleged actions<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Sun is accused of numerous actions that likely benefited herself and China&rsquo;s governmental affairs in New York. Some of Sun&rsquo;s alleged actions were more subtle, such as changing political messaging in statements, while others were more egregious.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Phone calls and meetings<\/h3>\n<p>During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Sun invited a Chinese official to eavesdrop on a private government call concerning the pandemic response and rising hate crimes against Asians. She added the official to the call without informing anyone else and scolded the official at points for not muting the phone. After the call, the official noted it was &ldquo;very useful.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>She also messaged a Chinese official that she had blocked all formal and informal meetings between Taiwanese officials and Hochul or then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo. She said she &ldquo;maintained a bare minimum of a relationship with them.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Lunar New Year video ignoring &lsquo;Uyghurs situation&rsquo;<\/h3>\n<p>In another instance, a Chinese official asked her if Cuomo would make a Lunar New Year video to celebrate the holiday, and she agreed but said Hochul would be more likely to do it. Hochul agreed to deliver the speech, and Sun appeared to share a video of the speech with an official who approved of it.<\/p>\n<p>During the process of making the video, Hochul&rsquo;s speechwriter insisted she mention the &ldquo;Uyghurs situation&rdquo; in the video, a request that angered Sun and a Chinese official. China has been accused of persecuting the Uyghurs and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2021\/03\/09\/report-clear-evidence-china-genocide-uyghur-muslims\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>committing<\/a> genocide against them. Hochul did not mention Uyghurs in the video, and the Chinese official posted the video to a consulate Facebook page.<\/p>\n<p>In an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.governor.ny.gov\/news\/audio-rush-transcript-governor-hochul-guest-wnycs-all-things-considered\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>interview<\/a> with NPR&rsquo;s <em>All Things Considered<\/em>, Hochul refused to comment on the message when asked, though she said, &ldquo;That&rsquo;s what they&rsquo;re alleging,&rdquo; and condemned Sun.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Travel arrangements<\/h3>\n<p>Outside of the executive office, Sun helped arrange travel into the United States for a Chinese government delegation by falsifying an invitation signed by Hochul, resulting in several immigration-related charges.<\/p>\n<p>In one of her final acts, Sun attended public and professional Asian community events in July 2023, claiming to be the deputy commissioner of the state Department of Labor after her employment was terminated in March of that year. She received a cease-and-desist order from the Department of Labor for her actions.<\/p>\n<p>Sun is charged with 10 counts, including violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act, visa fraud, alien smuggling, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-admin-waives-sanctions-on-iranian-oil-trade-as-doj-announces-charges-on-spy-network\/\" title=\"Biden Admin Waives Sanctions on Iranian Oil Trade As DOJ Announces Charges On Spy Network\">money laundering conspiracy<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Sun&rsquo;s compensation<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Sun received numerous gifts, sums of money, and favors in exchange for her alleged work for the Chinese government. Her main source of financial compensation was through her husband, Hu, who took in millions for China-related business with the help of the Chinese government.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Real estate purchases<\/h3>\n<p>Her largest purchases included a home on Long Island for $3.6 million and an oceanview condo in a Hawaii high-rise building for $1.9 million. She took out no mortgage loans for either purchase, and they took place not long after wire transfers totaling more than $2.1 million hit her bank account.<\/p>\n<p>Her Long Island home is located in Manhasset, New York, in the Stone Hill gated community. That home and her Hawaii home are valued at $4.05 million and $2.1 million, respectively. While she was shopping for her Long Island home, a relative worried that people would question how she could afford such an expensive home.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Mortgage,&rdquo; Sun replied.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Exotic vehicles<\/h3>\n<p>Sun also purchased several luxury vehicles while she was allegedly working for China. Authorities seized three cars from Hu and Sun: a 2024 Ferrari Roma, a 2024 Range Rover\/L460, and a 2022 Mercedes GLB250W4. <\/p>\n<p>The Roma has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.truecar.com\/overview\/ferrari\/roma\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>an MSRP<\/a> of over $240,000, while her other luxury car, the Range Rover, is worth at least $100,000. Adding in the 2022 Mercedes, Sun&rsquo;s cars have a combined MSRP of nearly $400,000.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Food, travel, and entertainment<\/h3>\n<p>She also received meal favors in the form of salted ducks for her and her family on at least four occasions between 2021 and 2022. Other entertainment for Sun included several instances in which she was gifted tickets for her or her family to go to performances at Carnegie Hall or Lincoln Center among others. She was also gifted six tickets with VIP suite access to an &ldquo;unspecified sporting event&rdquo; in 2022.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/washingtonexaminer.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The Chinese government also helped with Sun&rsquo;s travel expenditures on multiple trips to China, including paying for a 2017 trip that included Sun, her husband, and family members. Lastly, Sun&rsquo;s cousin received a 10-year employment contract with the help of one of her China-based contacts.<\/p>\n<p>Nonexhaustively, this is the majority of Sun&rsquo;s listed indictment compensation from the Chinese government. There could be further compensation that authorities haven&rsquo;t revealed. Noted in the indictment is that the gifts listed were according to &ldquo;written correspondence.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1745151\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1745151\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Here&#8217;s a summary of the allegations against Linda Sun, a former aide to Governor Kathy Hochul (D-NY), who is accused of acting as a foreign agent for China. An unsealed indictment on Tuesday detailed that she allegedly received numerous gifts from the Chinese government in exchange for her actions. These included influencing New York officials&#8217; policies and messaging to favor China.<\/p>\n<p>Sun&#8217;s alleged misconduct includes inviting a Chinese official to listen in on a private government call about COVID-19 and anti-Asian hate crimes without informing others, as well as blocking meetings between Taiwanese officials and Hochul or former Governor Andrew Cuomo. She also facilitated travel arrangements for a Chinese delegation by falsifying an invitation signed by Hochul.<\/p>\n<p>In addition, Sun is charged with multiple offenses including violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act and money laundering conspiracy. Her husband, Chris Hu, faces money laundering charges too.<\/p>\n<p>For her alleged services to the Chinese government, Sun reportedly received various gifts and financial benefits through her husband\u2019s business dealings with China. Notably, she purchased expensive properties\u2014a $3.6 million home in Long Island and a $1.9 million condo in Hawaii\u2014without taking out mortgages shortly after receiving over $2 million via wire transfers.<\/p>\n<p>Sun also acquired luxury vehicles valued at nearly $400,000 combined and enjoyed various perks such as gourmet meals and tickets to prestigious events like performances at Carnegie Hall. Additionally, she traveled multiple times to China funded by the Chinese government.<\/p>\n<p>The indictment suggests there may be more undisclosed compensation linked to her activities as authorities continue their investigation into her actions<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2336671,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Linda-Sun.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[40088,8433,35995,33117,32076],"class_list":["post-2336670","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-chinese-foreign-agent","tag-hochul","tag-linda-sun","tag-political-scandal","tag-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Linda-Sun.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2336670","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2336670"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2336670\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2336671"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2336670"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2336670"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2336670"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}