Ex-New York governors’ aide Linda Sun on trial for acting as Chinese agent

A former aide to two New York governors went on trial on Wednesday on charges she sold her influence to the Chinese government and illegally profited from the state’s bulk purchase of face masks during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Linda Sun and her husband, Chris Hu, were arrested last year during a US crackdown on alleged Chinese secret agents. They were charged again in June as part of the government’s efforts to root out pandemic fraud.

“Linda Sun was for sale,” prosecutor Amanda Shami told jurors in an opening statement.

Sun and Hu made millions of dollars from their illicit conduct and reaped other rewards, including Nanjing-style salted ducks, a delicacy prepared by a Chinese official’s personal chef and delivered to Sun’s parents’ New York home, prosecutors said.

“The evidence will show the defendants’ greed. The evidence will show the defendants’ betrayal,” Shami said.

Sun, a naturalised US citizen born in China, held numerous posts over a roughly 15-year career in state government, including as deputy chief of staff to New York Governor Kathy Hochul and deputy diversity officer under former governor Andrew Cuomo, both Democrats.