Accused spy for China, Linda Sun, lived the American dream by betraying the United States

Linda Sun's high heels clicked evenly on the terrazzo floor as she exited the elevators on the 10th floor of the federal courthouse in Brooklyn on Wednesday afternoon, where she faces charges of acting as an agent for China in exchange for money and gifts.

She was accompanied by her husband, Chris Hu, who is also her co-defendant. He is accused of visa fraud and money laundering that Sun allegedly received from the People's Republic of China during her 11-year tenure in the New York State government.

Both Sun, 40, and Hu, 41, were dressed in fashionable black as they entered the courtroom and sat down at the defendants' table with their lawyers. Sun is as tall and slim as a classic model, and she exuded understated elegance with pearl earrings, a thin gold chain around her neck and an even thinner, barely visible chain on her left ankle.

A knock signaled everyone to stand as U.S. District Judge Brian Cogan entered the courtroom. A court clerk called out the number of the indictment that had been unsealed three weeks ago.

“24-CR-346. United States v. Linda Sun and Chris Hu.”

Sun and Hu had pleaded not guilty at their arraignment on September 4. They were now back for a hearing to complete some preliminary legal formalities. She sat upright and with perfect posture, her hands folded across her chest. Among the many allegations in the 64-page indictment is the claim that when Sun visited Beijing in 2018, a Chinese official arranged for her to stay in a presidential suite once used by Michelle Obama. Whether or not that is proven at trial, no one can deny that Sun would have fit in well there.

By all accounts, her elegance is matched by competence, and she seemed just the right person for a politician. She served as chief of staff to a Queens state assemblywoman and then as deputy chief diversity officer for New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. She became chief of staff to his successor, Governor Kathy Hokul. Sun then served as deputy commissioner of the state Department of Labor.

Along the way, Sun is said to have followed the instructions of agents at the Chinese consulate in Manhattan, doing everything from forging official invitation letters to obtain U.S. visitor visas to preparing fake proclamations praising Chinese officials to scaring Hochul into mentioning the oppression of Taiwan and the Uighurs.

According to court documents, one way Chinese officials expressed their gratitude was by sending salted ducks prepared by a consular chef to her parents' home in Queens. She and her husband reportedly received enough money to buy a $3.6 million home on Long Island and a $1.9 million condo in Hawaii. The couple also purchased several luxury cars, including a 2024 Ferrari.

As the indictment states, Sun was able to live the American dream by betraying America.

In a corner behind the defendants' table, which Sun and Hu now occupied, hung an American flag. A reminder that the naturalization ceremony at which Sun officially became an American citizen would have ended with the oath of allegiance.

But in the republic that this flag represents, Sun and Hu are presumed innocent until proven otherwise. In a federal court where only four percent of defendants are acquitted, many defendants plead guilty in exchange for a lesser sentence.

“We have not yet made the defendant an offer of guilty, but we expect to do so,” a prosecutor told the judge.

The case may involve classified documents, and the judge set a date for what is known as a CIPA hearing; CIPA stands for Classified Information Procedures Act. The judge also noted that the investigation that led to the arrests appeared to have been ongoing for years. The FBI had been targeting Sun since at least July 2018, when she was invited for a voluntary interview about her travels to China. The current charges concern a series of isolated offenses spanning more than a decade.

“I hereby describe the case as complex,” said the judge, giving the defendants more time to prepare if necessary.

Wednesday's hearing ended in less than an hour, with a diamond on Sun's wedding ring sparkling as she held the courtroom door open for Hu, the lawyers and even a reporter who thanked her.

“No problem,” she replied.

A group of Asian citizen journalists waited outside the courthouse with their cellphone cameras raised.

“Shame on you!” one of them shouted at the couple.

Sun and Hu had called an Uber-like car, and it took an awkward few minutes before they spotted it across the street. They walked over and he held the car door open for her. She slid in, an accused spy who exuded elegance itself.