Federal prosecutors stated in a lengthy indictment on Tuesday that a former state government employee of New York who served under both former governor Andrew Cuomo and current governor Kathy Hochul was suspected of operating as an undisclosed agent of the Chinese government. Before becoming Hochul’s deputy chief of staff, Linda Sun held a number of positions in the New York state government. She and her husband, Chris Hu, were taken into custody Tuesday morning at their $3.5 million Long Island home.

According to the indictment, prosecutors claimed that Sun blocked Taiwanese government representatives from entering the governor’s office at the behest of Chinese officials, manipulated government messaging in New York to suit Chinese interests, and tried to arrange a visit to China for a prominent New York politician. Hu faces charges of conspiring to conduct bank fraud, misusing identification documents, and money laundering.

According to the accusation, she and her husband were given privileges in exchange, such as support for Hu’s business ventures in China and secret tickets to see visiting Chinese orchestra and ballet groups play. It further says that “Nanjing-style salted ducks,” made by the personal chef of a Chinese government official, were brought to Sun’s parents’ house. The indictment claims that the pair used the money they received from the money laundering scheme to purchase a $1.9 million condominium in Hawaii, a Manhasset property, and high-end vehicles, including a 2024 Ferrari.

United States Attorney Breon Peace stated, “As alleged, the defendant and her husband actually worked to further the interests of the Chinese government and the CCP, while appearing to serve the people of New York as Deputy Chief of Staff within the New York State Executive Chamber.” Millions of cash were gained by the defendant’s family through the illegal plan. Seth DuCharme, a Sun attorney, did not respond to an email requesting comment right away. The U.S. attorney’s office in expects Sun and Hu to appear in court for the first time on Tuesday afternoon.

Subsequently, Sun informed another official that she had a disagreement about the text with Hochul’s speechwriter because the latter persisted on bringing up the “Uyghur situation” in China. The indictment claims that she declared she would not allow that to occur and that the Muslim ethnic minority was left out of the final speech. The couple’s $3.5 million Manhasset house was searched by the FBI in late July, though they chose not to disclose any information at the time. According to her LinkedIn page, Sun spent almost fifteen years working for the state government, first holding positions in Cuomo’s administration before rising to the position of deputy chief of staff for Hochul. Sun started working as the deputy commissioner for strategic business development at the New York Department of Labour in November 2022, however she departed the position months later.

A representative for Hochul’s office claimed in a statement that Sun was sacked by the administration after “discovering evidence of misconduct.” “The Executive Chamber employed this person about ten years ago. The statement said, “We terminated her employment in March 2023 after finding evidence of misconduct, reported her actions to law enforcement immediately, and have assisted law enforcement throughout this process.” An email requesting comment was not immediately answered by a Cuomo spokesperson. Sun and Hu reside in Stone Hill, a Long Island gated enclave. Records indicate that although the pair bought the house in 2021, they put it in a trust earlier this year.