Salted ducks, Ferraris, concert tickets… Linda Sun, a former assistant to the governor of New York State, has been arrested and charges filed against her, US federal prosecutors announced on Tuesday, September 3. She had worked for 14 years for Governor Kathy Hochul and her predecessor Andrew Cuomo. But she is also accused of having worked in parallel as an agent of influence and intelligence for China in exchange for millions of dollars, a sumptuous lifestyle and salted duck, sent to her parents. On Wednesday, the expulsion of the Chinese consul general in New York, requested by Governor Hochul because of this affair, was denied by American diplomacy.
Agent of influence and intelligence
Linda Sun “used her position of influence” among New York executives to “covertly advance” the interests of the Chinese regime, “directly threatening our country’s national security,” prosecutors said in a statement.
Linda Sun, for example, blocked Taiwanese officials from accessing New York state leaders, sought to arrange an official trip to China for a senior New York official, and eliminated references to Taiwan and the Uighurs from state communications, according to the indictment quoted by THE New York Timesor negotiated meetings for visiting Chinese delegations.
Gifts “worth millions of dollars”
She is accused of receiving “substantial” economic incentives in return that allowed her and her husband Christopher Hu to enjoy a luxurious lifestyle. She also received tickets to a Chinese orchestra, a job with her cousin in China, and famous Nanjing salted ducks prepared by the chef of a visiting Chinese official.
“This illicit scheme enriched the defendant’s family to the tune of millions of dollars,” U.S. Attorney Breon Peace said in the statement, without providing specific figures. “Her husband Christopher Hu enabled millions of dollars in bribes to flow for his own personal benefit,” he added. New York federal prosecutors believe the two defendants purchased a $4.1 million property on Long Island, New York, a $2.1 million condo in Hawaii, and a brand new Ferrari.
“An alarming failure”
The assistant was charged with 10 counts, including visa fraud, money laundering and other offenses, while her husband was charged with money laundering, according to the New York TimesBoth pleaded not guilty and were released on bail on condition that they not contact a Chinese diplomatic mission.
According to the New York TimesSenate Republican leader Robert G. Ortt said Tuesday that Sun’s employment was “an alarming failure of security” and called for an investigation to determine who should be held responsible.
Chinese Consul General in New York ‘not expelled’
The case is diplomatically sensitive. New York State Governor Kathy Hochul announced at midday on Wednesday that she had “informed” the State Department in Washington of her “desire to see the Consul General of the People’s Republic of China and the New York Mission expelled.”
“I have been informed that the consul general is no longer at the New York mission,” she later congratulated herself at a press conference. But the American State Department finally denied shortly after the “expulsion” of the Chinese consul general in New York, which would have been an exceptional retaliatory measure against a foreign diplomat. “The consul general”, Huang Ping, who has the rank of ambassador, “has not been expelled”, thus affirmed the spokesman for the State Department, Matthew Miller. “From what we know, the consul general has reached the end of his planned rotation in August and is therefore leaving his place, but he has not been expelled”, he stressed.
No comment from the Chinese side
China’s foreign ministry said Wednesday it was unaware of Sun’s situation. “I will not comment on internal cases in the United States,” spokeswoman Mao Ning told a regular news briefing. “But we oppose any malicious association or slander against China,” she added. U.S. federal law enforcement and justice agencies regularly investigate officials, often dual nationals or naturalized citizens, who work for other countries, particularly China.