Federal prosecutors said they needed more time to prepare for trial following new corruption charges against Linda Sun, a former high-ranking aide to both former Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and current Governor Kathy Hochul. Sun was arrested last September for allegedly acting as an unregistered agent of the Chinese government.
A magistrate judge announced Monday in Brooklyn federal court that the trial of Sun and her husband, Chris Hu, who is also a co-defendant, is postponed to November. The new charges, filed last week, accuse the couple of accepting millions of dollars in kickbacks linked to New York State’s procurement of personal protective equipment (PPE) at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the indictment, Sun, 41, allegedly used her position within a team of New York State officials who were responsible for obtaining PPE to steer contracts to companies that she had personal ties with. This included a company owned by her second cousin and another operated by Hu and his business associate. Prosecutors said Sun failed to disclose her relationships with these vendors and altered communications to secure government approval of the contracts.
A second superseding indictment, returned by a federal grand jury last Wednesday, added additional charges of fraud, including honest services wire fraud, honest services wire fraud conspiracy, bribery, and conspiracy to defraud the United States. Hu also faces an additional charge of tax evasion.
Prosecutors estimated that Hu, 40, stood to gain a total of $8,029,741 from contracts awarded by the New York State Department of Health to his associate’s company and Sun’s cousin’s company.
In one instance, prosecutors said Sun edited an email from the U.S. representative to the Jiangsu Trade & Business Representative Office in Albany to promote her cousin’s company as the “gold standard” for surgical masks, falsely attributing the endorsement to a Chinese provincial commerce department. That company later received millions in state contracts. Between 2020 and 2021, the cousin allegedly funneled $2.3 million to Sun and Hu. Hu did not report the income or pay taxes on it, prosecutors said.
To conceal the payments, Hu allegedly instructed the cousin to transfer $1.5 million to U.S. bank accounts under a close relative’s name, two days before the cousin’s company received $6 million from a New York State contract.
Prosecutors further allege that Sun falsely claimed Hu’s associate company was referred by the Chinese Chamber of Commerce when helping it secure a contract with the state.
As one of the former highest-ranking Chinese officials in state government, Sun was a prominent presence at Chinese community events and well-respected by many Chinese community members. News of her arrest and the charges against her came as a shock to many in the Chinese community.
Sun held various senior roles in New York State government from 2012 to 2023, including Superintendent for Intergovernmental Affairs and Chief Diversity Officer at the Department of Financial Services under Cuomo, and later as Deputy Chief of Staff for the NYS Executive Chamber under Hochul. She was most recently Deputy Commissioner for Strategic Business Development at the Department of Labor until March 2023. During the pandemic, she was part of a state task force tasked with acquiring PPE from global vendors.
Sun and Hu were arrested last September after an FBI raid of their $3.5 million Long Island home. Sun was initially charged with acting as unregistered agents of the Chinese government, visa fraud, alien smuggling, and money laundering conspiracy. Hu also faced charges of conspiracy to commit money laundering, bank fraud and misuse of means of identification. It is part of the Justice Department’s broader effort to combat what officials described as the Chinese government’s transnational campaign of repression and influence.
According to court documents, prosecutors alleged Sun leveraged her government role to advance Chinese state interests, including blocking meetings between Taiwanese officials and New York State leaders, securing proclamations for PRC government representatives without proper authorization, and issuing unauthorized invitation letters with false statements for Chinese delegations entering the U.S. In one exchange, she allegedly received economic and material benefits, such as travel perks, tickets to events, and traditional salted duck meals prepared by a PRC official’s personal chef.
Neither Sun nor Hu entered a plea at Monday’s hearing. In recent months, they have mounted multiple legal challenges. Their motion to dismiss the earlier indictment was denied in May.
In June, the couple filed for a “Monsanto” hearing, seeking the release of some frozen assets to pay mounting legal fees. Their attorneys claimed the government had seized assets, including Sun’s engagement ring, far exceeding the value of the alleged misconduct and leaving the couple with no means to cover legal bills, which they said have reached $2 million and could exceed $3 million by year’s end.
Prosecutors opposed the motion, arguing that the couple failed to provide sufficient documentation of their financial situation, including alternative assets, income sources, or how they are covering monthly living expenses, which they claim exceed $20,000.
The trial is now scheduled to begin on Nov. 3, 2025.
Also Read: Former de Blasio City Official Tommy Lin Sentenced to Probation and Community Service
