THE SPY WHO LOVED BLING: Accused Chinese agent lived high on hog

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Published Sep 04, 2024  •  4 minute read

SPY: Federal prosecutors say former political high flier Linda Sun got rich spying for China. SCREENGRAB

Suspected Chinese spy Linda Sun allegedly got rich, taking marching orders from Beijing as she infiltrated the corridors of American power.

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Her ostentatious tastes were closer to high-living super spy James Bond than a party flunky.

And the festivities were all funded by the Chinese Communist Party, federal prosecutors claim in an explosive 65-page indictment.

Sun, 41, and her hubby Christopher Hu, 40, were arrested on Tuesday on charges of violating and conspiring to violate the Foreign Agents Registration Act, visa fraud, alien smuggling and money laundering conspiracy.

UNCLE XI: China’s President Xi Jinping attends a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken (not pictured) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on June 19, 2023. Photo by LEAH MILLIS/POOL /AFP via Getty Images

She worked as a top aide for New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Sun was also a well-known player in Democratic Party circles.

Now, the feds say, Sun and Hu were working at the behest of the Chinese Communist Party.

The two have pleaded not guilty. None of the allegations have been tested in court.

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According to the New York Post, the shocking arrests have stunned Asian-American powerbrokers.

“There’s nobody who worked in or around politics in the Asian American community who knew Linda Sun who isn’t absolutely floored by this,” one source who knows Sun told the Post.

Sun — who grew up in Queens — began worming her way into politics about 15 years ago, working as a young political staffer in the New York state capital of Albany.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul speaks in Syracuse, N.Y., April 25, 2024. Photo by Adrian Kraus /THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Before that, she studied at Barnard College, and later pursued her master’s in education at Columbia University.

The feds say Sun’s purpose in Albany was to advance Chinese interests in the state government. But for a political staffer obsessed with diversity, Sun and her husband lived like royalty.

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According to the federal indictment, the pair were paid millions in kickbacks by the CCP in exchange for acting as foreign agents for the Chinese.

The pair allegedly laundered their ill-gotten dough through real estate investments, such as their “gaudy” $4.4-million mansion on Long Island Sound. Sun and her husband didn’t come from money, making their spending more suspicious.

FUN COUPLE: Lawyer Seth DuCharme, left, walks with former New York Governor Kathy Hochul aide Linda Sun, centre right, and her husband, Christopher Hu, centre leave Brooklyn Federal Court after their arraignment, Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2024, in New York. Sun is charged with being an aide to the Chinese government. (AP Photo/Corey Sipkin)

Sun was a government staffer, her husband owned a marginally profitable liquor store and other businesses that could hardly be described as Fortune 500 affairs. The mansion, though, was purchased without a mortgage.

Among the highlights of Sun’s robust lifestyle:

THE CONDO IN HAWAII. MLS

— The feds say the couple received millions of dollars in dodgy kickbacks.

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— In addition to their $4.4-million Long Island mansion, Sun and Hu also own a $2-million luxury condo in Honolulu.

— If the allegations prove to be true, spying is wheelie lucrative: The couple owns a fleet of luxury cars, including a 2024 Ferrari Roma, a 2024 Range Rover/L460 and a 2022 Mercedes GLB250W4.

— A personal chef for “PRC Official 1,” the Post says Chinese Consul General in New York Huang Ping cooked up Nanjing-style salted ducks and had them delivered to Sun’s parents’ house. The ducks were a frequent treat for the pair, courtesy of the CCP.

— Sun and her family were given premium seats for the Chinese National Traditional Orchestra concert at Carnegie Hall in December 2015 and the Guangzhou Ballet performance at Lincoln Center on Aug. 17, 2019.

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— The feds say in the indictment that sports tickets, comped travel to China that included a presidential suite once used by Michelle Obama were also on the menu.

WHEELS: A 2024 Ferrari Roma. GETTY IMAGES

Described as a hard worker, Sun went to Albany in 2009 with a politician named Grace Meng, who became a star under Cuomo. On her coattails, Sun became a star, too.

Later, she handled trade missions with a focus on Asian countries — particularly China. In 2018, Sun was named the state’s “chief diversity officer.”

SALTED DUCK FOR DECEIVERS: GETTY IMAGES

She first came to the attention of the FBI in 2020 and was questioned and cautioned about the Foreign Agents Registration Act. Her career was torpedoed in 2023 by the Hochul administration, which cited evidence of misconduct.

“We terminated her employment in March 2023 after discovering evidence of misconduct, immediately reported her actions to law enforcement and have assisted law enforcement throughout this process,” a spokesperson said in a statement.

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Now, prosecutors are moving to seize Sun’s real estate portfolio, cars and $210,000 in cash.

OUR GIRL: Linda Sun whooping it up with commie pals. US ATTORNEY

The Daily Mail reported that during the COVID-19 pandemic, in her government role, Sun was pumping millions of dollars in taxpayer money into masks and ventilators. Sun was tasked with “spearheading” the Empire State’s purchase of the equipment.

At the same time, surprise, surprise, her husband established a medical supply company. It emerged in the indictment that New York overspent on pandemic equipment. This resulted in the state having to sell  $225 million in PPE masks for just $500,000.

LADY WORE RED: Linda Sun with a commie buddy. US ATTORNEY

More than 70% of American PPE masks were manufactured in … China.

Using her influence, Sun allegedly torpedoed government meetings with Taiwan officials and steered the government clear of criticism of Beijing’s persecution of the minority Uyghur Muslims.

According to the allegations, after a meeting between Cuomo and Taiwanese officials was scuttled thanks to Sun, she wrote to her masters: “I already blocked it.”

Former New York Governor Kathy Hochul aide Linda Sun leaves Brooklyn Federal Court after her arraignment, Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Corey Sipkin)

Later that day, she was photographed at a Manhattan protest railing against the Taiwanese premier’s visit.

Sun’s bond was set at $1.5 million, while her husband’s was $500,000.

They have been ordered not to travel beyond New York City, Long Island, Maine and New Hampshire.

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@HunterTOSun

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