Ex-New York Governor’s Aide Linda Sun to Stand Trial on Alleged China Influence, COVID Mask Kickbacks

Former state aide goes on trial accused of selling influence to China and profiting from pandemic contracts

A former aide to two New York governors, Linda Sun, is scheduled to go on trial Wednesday in Brooklyn federal court on accusations that she acted at the direction of Chinese officials and illegally profited from the state's early-pandemic purchases of face masks. Her husband, Chris Hu, is charged alongside her.

Federal authorities arrested Sun and Hu last year as part of a U.S. investigation into alleged secret agents and later brought additional charges tied to pandemic-era procurement. Sun, a naturalized U.S. citizen born in China, served in multiple New York state roles over roughly 15 years, including as deputy chief of staff to Gov. Kathy Hochul and deputy diversity officer under former Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

Sun has pleaded not guilty to counts alleging violations of the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), conspiracy to commit money laundering and aiding visa fraud. Hu has pleaded not guilty to charges including money laundering, tax evasion, conspiracy to commit bank fraud and misuse of identification. Neither defendant faces formal espionage charges.

Both defendants have denied bribery and related allegations tied to a mask procurement scheme. In a court filing seeking dismissal that was rejected, Sun’s attorney, Jarrod L. Schaeffer, said she denies all wrongdoing and expects a jury will reject the government’s accusations. Schaeffer argued prosecutors targeted Sun because she and her family had "too much money," and he described the indictment as containing "glaring inconsistencies" and legal defects, including statute-of-limitations issues.

Opening statements are set for Wednesday morning after jurors were selected. U.S. District Judge Brian Cogan said he expects the trial to last several weeks.

Allegations from prosecutors

Federal prosecutors allege Sun acted at the request of Chinese officials to block representatives of Taiwan from accessing the governor’s office and to shape New York government messaging to align with the priorities of the Chinese government. They say, in exchange, Hu received business assistance in China that helped fund the couple’s purchases of a multimillion-dollar Long Island property, a $1.9 million condominium in Hawaii and luxury vehicles including a 2024 Ferrari.

The indictment also alleges Sun received smaller gifts such as tickets to visiting Chinese orchestras and ballet performances and shipments of "Nanjing-style salted ducks" prepared by a Chinese official’s personal chef and delivered to Sun’s parents in New York.

Prosecutors further claim Sun and Hu obtained millions in kickbacks by exploiting Sun’s role on a Cuomo administration team that arranged urgently needed personal protective equipment (PPE) in March 2020. According to the indictment, Sun used her China contacts to help New York secure PPE and then forged documents to falsely claim two additional suppliers had been recommended by those contacts. One supplier was run by Sun’s second cousin and the other by an associate of Hu. State contracts signed in March 2020 paid the two companies more than $44 million, and prosecutors say about $2.3 million was funneled back to Hu.

Responses from officials

Asked about Sun while testifying before a congressional subcommittee in September 2024, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo said, "She was a junior member in my team. I wouldn’t recognize her if she was in this room today." Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office said Sun was terminated from the Executive Chamber in March 2023 after the administration discovered evidence of misconduct, and that officials promptly reported the matter to law enforcement and cooperated with the investigation.

Note: The allegations described above are from the government’s indictment and have not been proven in court. Sun and Hu have pleaded not guilty and the case will be decided by a jury.