Linda Sun, a former top aide to New York governors Andrew Cuomo and Kathy Hochul, returned to court this week, determined to defend herself against charges of unlawfully acting as an unregistered agent for the Chinese government.
Wearing a dark suit and projecting a calm expression, Sun appeared before U.S. District Judge Brian M. Cogan and a panel of jurors in Brooklyn federal court on Wednesday, marking the start of her trial 14 months after her arrest in September 2024.
Once one of the highest-ranking Chinese American officials in New York State government, Sun and her husband, Chris Hu, now face charges of money laundering, receiving millions of dollars in kickbacks and benefits linked to a pandemic-era PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) scheme, among other charges, to which the couple pleaded not guilty.
In opening statements, prosecutors and defense attorneys painted starkly different pictures of the couple.
“This is a case about betrayal and greed,” said Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda Shami. “Her loyalty was for sale.”
Shami alleged that Sun, while serving as a senior public official, acted to benefit Beijing’s interests as an unregistered foreign agent, while Sun’s husband Hu exploited his wife’s influence to steer millions of dollars in business to his own companies during the pandemic.
The prosecutors alleged that Sun engaged in political activities favorable to the Chinese government while working for New York State, including blocking representatives of Taiwan from accessing the governor’s office and forging then–Lieutenant Governor Hochul’s signature to invite a Chinese delegation to visit New York.
Shami further alleged that Sun not only betrayed the state, but also “betrayed the people of New York when they were most vulnerable” during the pandemic.
Prosecutors claimed Sun helped facilitate PPE contracts between the state government and two businesses linked to her husband, and that she received travel benefits, event tickets, and even salted ducks prepared by a Chinese consul’s personal chef delivered to her parents’ home.
Sun and Hu then allegedly used the proceeds of these schemes to purchase a $3.6 million property in Manhasset, New York, a $1.9 million condominium in Honolulu, Hawaii, and several luxury cars, including a 2024 Ferrari, prosecutors said. They added that Sun never disclosed any of the gifts or benefits she received from Chinese government representatives.
Sun’s defense attorney, Jarrod L. Schaeffer, countered that prosecutors had no direct evidence to prove their claims.
“Linda Sun was working around the clock for New Yorkers,” Schaeffer said.
He described Sun as a dedicated official who helped procure ventilators, PPEs, and donations from China as part of the state’s emergency response during the pandemic.
Schaeffer argued that Sun’s communications with Chinese officials were consistent with her role as a liaison to the Chinese community and part of her responsibility to foster trade and economic relations on behalf of the state.
“She is an American, she is a New Yorker. She is working on behalf of New Yorkers,” he said.
While acknowledging that Sun had received gifts from Chinese officials, Schaeffer described them as “common cultural and political practices” and said Sun’s advice on Taiwan for government officials was aligned with U.S. foreign policy.
“She is doing her job […] she doesn’t have to register [as a foreign agent],” he added.
Hu’s attorney, Nicole Boeckmann, told jurors that the case against her client “is all about money,” alleging that Hu became a target because he is a successful businessman. “They saw the car, they saw the houses […] They saw the way they want to see it,” she said.
Boeckmann said Hu, who immigrated to the U.S. at age 8 and graduated from Stony Brook University, worked hard to build his Queens-based seafood export business, which later “was not viable” during the pandemic. In April 2020, she said, Hu launched a PPE company to “leverage goodwill and network,” bringing protective equipment to New Yorkers “on time” and at a “fair price.”
On the first day of trial, four witnesses testified, including FBI Special Agent Garrett Igo. Igo had interviewed Sun in 2020 as part of investigating China’s political influence operations in the U.S. and Sun’s relationship with Qing Li, a former Chinese consulate official in New York whom the FBI described as a spy. Igo said Sun was cooperative during interviews but didn’t disclose details about some of her political activities related to Taiwan and Beijing. He added that he had warned Sun about the risks of acting as a foreign agent.
Prosecutors presented evidence of incidents Sun did not disclose to Igo during the interview, including photos, a video, and a Chinese-language article showing Sun attending a 2019 protest hosted by some Chinese community leaders in New York City against Taiwanese leader Tsai Ing-wen’s visit, as well as her attendance at the 70th anniversary celebration of the founding of the People’s Republic of China in Beijing in September 2019. Prosecutors said a Chinese business leader paid for Sun’s lodging and coordinated her travel in China, while her defense lawyer argued that she was visiting family there at the time and felt honored to be invited to the celebration.
Sun’s case follows other instances of the Justice Department targeting Beijing’s alleged “transnational repression” and influence operations in the U.S. In February, Trump’s DOJ rolled back enforcement of the Foreign Agents Registration Act, the law under which Sun is charged, unless they involved “conduct similar to more traditional espionage.”
你知道吗？非公民办理驾照时的这个错误可能会导致选民欺诈
Just last week, Trump pardoned a former New York police officer who was convicted of acting as an unregistered agent of the Chinese government.
Judge Cogan cautioned both prosecutors and defense attorneys not to use terms such as “national security” or “spy,” warning that such language could mislead the jury. “It’s not what the case is about,” Cogan said, emphasizing that jurors should not be led to believe the trial involves espionage.
The trial is expected to last about four weeks.
