Linda Sun’s life will never be the same. The luxurious and peaceful home she spent decades building in New York was irreversibly interrupted on the morning of Tuesday, September 3.
Following an extensive investigation by US authorities, the American citizen, born 41 years ago in Nanjing, China, was arrested along with her husband, Chris Hu, after being accused of having acted as a spy for Beijing.
At their Long Island mansion, which was raided by FBI agents, the couple saw years of efforts crumble – according to prosecutors – to keep the illegal activities they committed in full coordination with the Chinese Communist Party as secret as possible.
US authorities charged Linda Sun, who arrived in that country with his parents at the age of 5of having used his position of power in different positions in the New York government to favor the interests of the power led by Xi Jinping.
In court, prosecutors and the FBI revealed that the former deputy chief of staff to the current governor of New York, Kathleen Hochulheld his office “to promote covertly” China’s agenda, “directly threatening our country’s national security”.
With an impassive face, no makeup, dressed in black and holding her husband’s hand, Sun arrived at a Brooklyn court this week.
Over there, Both pleaded not guilty of the nearly dozen charges against them, including conspiracy and violation of the Foreign Agents Registration Act, money laundering, falsification of identification documents and fraudulent facilitation of visas for foreigners.
Hideaway in Honolulu and the Ferrari of the year
In exchange for their supposed position as agents, Sun and her husband received large amounts of money from Chinaaccording to the indictment.
“The illicit scheme enriched the defendant’s family with millions of dollars,” the US prosecutor said. Breon Peace this week after the case that has shocked political circles in New York was uncovered.
What is even more surprising is that the couple, who were charged with eight criminal counts, spared no expense and did not conceal their allegedly ill-gotten fortune.
Instead, the couple used that money to gradually build a lifestyle of great opulence.
According to the indictment, Sun and Hu They laundered millions of dollars that allowed them to buy luxury properties.
Among the most striking is the mansion in which they both live in the Saxony Court area, Manhasset, valued at nearly US$3.5 million.
The couple also bought a condo with ocean views in Honolulu, Hawaii, a space that they both used as a hideaway to rest from their busy lives in New York.
The value of that property amounts to US$2.1 million.
In addition, the couple took the liberty of showing off the latest developments in the automotive industry; among them, a 2022 Mercedes and a Ferrari Roma 2024.
The suite where Michelle Obama stayed, home-delivered ducks from the chef and other gifts
Federal prosecutors say Sun and her husband also benefited from perks, gifts and trips allegedly paid for by China as part of their role as undeclared agents.
On January 30, 2018, when Sun traveled New York to Beijing To participate in a conference, Chinese officials arranged for his stay, including “reserving a presidential suite previously used by First Lady Michelle Obama during her stay” in the Chinese capital, the indictment said.
The document also details that Sun traveled on other occasions to different cities in his home country, receiving several thousand dollars in his bank account from an account based in China.
The FBI has said that Sun He lied during interrogations that were asked about the reason and resources with which she financed her trips, on which her husband sometimes accompanied her.
Prosecutors also say Chinese officials treated Sun and Hu to cultural events such as opera concerts and ballet performances, among others.
But Sun and his family also enjoyed gastronomic gifts.
Prosecutors say the 41-year-old woman, her husband and her parents were repeatedly served a typical Chinese dish, Nanjing style salted duckswhich were cooked by the personal chef of one of the government officials with whom Sun maintained constant contact.
The “Sun method”
According to the investigation by the US authorities, Sun used a sophisticated method that allowed her to act “on the orders, requests or directions” of Chinese agents without being noticed..
The New York governor’s official was hired in 2012 during the term of Andrew Cuomoduring which time she took on a variety of roles including New York Global Trade Manager, Director of Asian Outreach for the Governor’s Office, Queens Regional Representative, and Chief Diversity Officer.
Then, during the current governor’s term, in September 2021, she was deputy chief of staff, a position she held for about 15 months. In 2022, meanwhile, she served in the New York Department of Labor.
Until the alarms went off.
The own Hochul said this week, the BBC reported, that Sun’s actions implied a “absolute betrayal” trustworthy and as soon as they realized that something was not right, they dismissed the official and handed over the information to the Department of Justice.
But the damage was already done.
For years, thanks to the high echelons of power he was able to access through his positions in the New York government, Sun did everything, according to the indictment.
From forge the signature from Hochul herself, blocking activities with Taiwanese authorities (which is not recognized as an independent country by China) or facilitate the obtaining of illegal visas to the point of influencing the interests of the communist power in the public speeches of high-ranking American officials.
The prosecution believes that the 41-year-old woman did all of this in full coordination with officials of the Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China in New York, where she had daily contact with officials dependent on Xi Jinping’s government.
“‘Everything has been satisfactorily resolved,’ Sun boasted in a 2016 message to a Chinese consular official after successfully diverting a senior New York politician from an event hosted by Taiwan,” the BBC journalist wrote. Sam Cabral this week.
“And when the island’s president traveled to New York City in 2019, Sun was even photographed joining a pro-Beijing protest against the visit.”
Sun also made sure to eliminate any mention of the arrest in his superiors’ speeches. Uighursa predominantly Muslim ethnic group in China’s Xinjiang province.
In turn, the former official used her position to give access to privileged information to officials in Xi Jinping’s government.
One of the most striking milestones included in the federal prosecutors’ indictment is that Sun He let one of them into a private state government conference call in which the various responses that were being managed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic were addressed.
In January 2020, prosecutors say Sun was in contact with Chinese officials to coordinate shipments of personal protective equipment to China, and once the pandemic began in the United States, he would do the same to obtain ventilators for New York State.
“During these communications, Sun repeatedly asked the People’s Republic of China consulate to promote” a logistics company linked to her husband’s business.
“How she got away with it for so long will be a matter of ongoing investigation, but it appears she took numerous steps to avoid being caught, allegedly lying to the FBI, the New York State Office of the Inspector General and others when questioned, and taking other steps to conceal her role,” former New York prosecutor Howard Master told the BBC.
“The only country that has a dream”
What is certain is that, for at least a decade, Sun managed to remain unnoticed in highly influential government circles in the United States.
Perhaps his academic career, where he stood out by reaching Barnard College and pursuing a master’s degree in teaching at Columbia University, had something to do with it.
In an interview four years ago, Sun expressed his commitment to public service, calling for more and more Asians to join government administrations.
“Linda Sun, 2006, likes to say that she got her start in public service in a very private way: being a translator for her Chinese immigrant parents”reads the article on the Bernard College website.
“From the age of 8, Sun helped his parents with a whole range of tasks (filling out forms, paying taxes) that were critical to their understanding of how things worked, and how they worked for them, in the United States,” he continues.
“Having a voice in government, as mundane as it may seem, is actually at the heart of the lofty democratic ideals underlying what many people — and many immigrants — still consider American exceptionalism.”USA’Sun points out, “It is still the only country that has a dream”adds the text.
These reflections, however, seem very distant today.
Sun and her husband now have only to prepare their defense against the serious crimes of which they are accused in New York.
Both are expected to appear before a judge later this month after being released on bail.
Sun has so far been banned from any contact with the Chinese consulate in the city.
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