Linda Sun, ex-aide to New York governors Hochul and Cuomo, to go on trial in July, federal judge rules

The former gubernatorial aide from Long Island who is accused of acting as an unregistered agent of China will go on trial this summer, a federal judge said Wednesday.

Linda Sun and her co-defendant husband, Christopher Hu, will go on trial July 28, U.S. District Judge Brian Cogan said.

Sun and Hu, of Manhasset, have pleaded not guilty to the charges. They left the federal courthouse in Brooklyn Wednesday with their attorneys without commenting.

Prosecutors have alleged the couple laundered millions of dollars in proceeds from Chinese government officials, in exchange for actions taken by Sun at the behest of those officials, to buy their $4 million Manhasset mansion and a 2024 Ferrari.

Sun, 40, has pleaded not guilty to charges of violating and conspiring to violate the Foreign Agents Registration Act, visa fraud, alien smuggling and money laundering conspiracy, prosecutors said. Hu, 42, has pleaded not guilty to money laundering conspiracy, conspiracy to commit bank fraud and misuse of identification, prosecutors have said.

Sun, a former aide to both Gov. Kathy Hochul and ex-Gov. and New York City mayoral candidate Andrew Cuomo, is free on a $1.5 million bond while Hu is free on $500,000 bond.

During Wednesday’s conference, Cogan pointedly questioned prosecutors about the inadvertent expungement on an FBI computer of a document detailing the communications between Sun’s personal Gmail account and alleged representatives of the Chinese government. The defense has sought to have the findings from the 2022 warrant and a subsequent 2024 warrant that allowed access to her emails thrown out of evidence.

"It’s a snafu with the internal system," Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander Solomon told the judge.

Cogan replied: "It’s beyond a snafu ... It’s troubling. It’s very troubling."

Sun joined the Cuomo administration in 2012 as a liaison to minority communities and later worked at Empire State Development, the privately run state economic development arm, Newsday has reported.

Sun also worked as a deputy diversity officer and later at the Department of Financial Services, Newsday has reported.

When Hochul became governor in 2021, Sun was hired as a deputy chief of staff. But Sun left that job in September 2022 and joined the state Department of Labor, Newsday has reported.

Prosecutors have said Sun took several actions at the request of Chinese government and Chinese Communist Party officials, including blocking representatives of the Taiwanese government from having access to Cuomo and later Hochul, in order to not anger the Chinese government. Beijing does not recognize Taiwan as an independent country.

Prosecutors have said Sun also obtained official New York State proclamations for Chinese government representatives without proper authorization, attempted to facilitate a trip to China by a high-level New York State politician and arranged meetings for visiting delegations from the Chinese government with New York State government officials, federal prosecutors have said.

Sun failed to register as a foreign agent with the U.S. attorney general, as required by federal law, prosecutors have said.

In exchange for her actions, Sun allegedly received millions of dollars in transactions for her husband's China-based business activities, prosecutors have said.

Hu allegedly laundered proceeds from the scheme through bank accounts opened in the name of a close relative by fraudulently using an image of the relative's driver's license, prosecutors have said.

The indictment said Sun was terminated from the labor department in March 2023, but she allegedly continued to attend meetings and represent herself as a state employee.

The FBI has searched the house, a five-bedroom mansion on Saxony Court in a gated community, during a pre-dawn raid in July 2024. A Newsday videographer on the scene captured footage of agents from the FBI evidence response team entering the home. It was unclear what evidence, if any, was recovered at that time.

Sun and Hu bought the home in 2021 for $3.55 million, according to real estate records. In 2022, the Village of North Hills' board of appeals denied a request by Hu for a variance to locate a swimming pool and barbecue area in the backyard closer to the property line than is permitted, according to a village record.

By Nicole Fuller

nicole.fuller@newsday.com@NicoleFuller

Nicole Fuller is Newsday's senior criminal justice reporter. She began working at Newsday in 2012 and previously covered local government.