On Tuesday morning, former deputy chief of staff to New York Governor Kathy Hochul, Linda Sun, and her husband Chris Hu were arrested by the FBI at their Long Island home.
Back in July, the FBI conducted a search at the couple’s mansion in a gated community in Manhasset, Long Island. Officials have not accused Hochul or Sun of any involvement related to the arrest in connection with their work in the governor’s office.
The mansion, which has five bedrooms and is valued at $3.5 million, was previously owned by Sun and Chris Hu until it was transferred to a trust fund in March of this year.
Hochul’s spokesperson, Avi Small, stated in a press release, “This individual was employed by the Executive Chamber over a decade ago. We terminated her employment in March 2023 upon discovering evidence of misconduct and immediately reported her behavior to law enforcement, assisting them throughout the process.”
Prosecutors from the Eastern District of New York and the FBI confirmed the arrests.
Sun had worked for the state government for approximately 15 years before being fired last year from her position as Deputy Commissioner for Strategic Business Development at the New York State Department of Labor due to evidence of misconduct.
She had previously served as Hochul’s deputy chief of staff and worked in the administration of former Governor Andrew Cuomo.
Details of the charges against Sun were kept confidential until later in the day on Tuesday, with Sun and Hu expected to appear in federal court in Brooklyn.
According to her LinkedIn profile, the 40-year-old Sun holds a Bachelor of Political Science degree from Barnard College and a Master’s in Education from Columbia University. She has held various roles in New York state government over the past 15 years, starting as Chief of Staff to former State Assembly Member Grace Meng before transitioning to Governor Cuomo’s administration, primarily serving as a community liaison for Queens and the local Asian community. Following Hochul’s assumption of the governorship in September 2021, Sun was appointed as deputy chief of staff, later transitioning to Deputy Commissioner of the Department of Labor in November 2022 before leaving state government five months later. The New York Post reported that a source revealed Sun was dismissed last year due to “evidence of misconduct” and subsequently left public service; the source also indicated that the misconduct was serious and had been referred to law enforcement for investigation.
Chris Hu, 41, operates a luxury vineyard in Flushing, Queens, and has founded multiple businesses over the past decade, including establishing “Medical Supplies USA LLC” at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Against the backdrop of the tense U.S.-China relations, this incident has garnered widespread attention. In late February of this year, the residence of the Asian Affairs Director for the New York City Mayor, Winnie Greco, was also searched by the FBI in the Bronx. In these investigations, Greco was also not accused of any misconduct.