The U.S. Attorney’s Office released the below
information:
BROOKLYN, NY – Earlier today, in federal court
in Brooklyn, an indictment was unsealed charging Linda Sun
with violating and conspiring to violate the
Foreign Agents Registration Act, visa fraud, alien smuggling, and money
laundering conspiracy. Sun is alleged to have acted on behalf of the
government of the People’s Republic of China (the “PRC”) and the Chinese
Communist Party (the “CCP”). Sun’s husband and co-defendant Chris Hu was also
charged with money laundering conspiracy, as well as conspiracy to commit bank
fraud and misuse of means of identification.
Sun and Hu were arrested this morning and
are scheduled to be arraigned later today before United States Magistrate Judge
Peggy Kuo.
Breon Peace, United States Attorney for
the Eastern District of New York, Matthew G. Olsen, Assistant Attorney General
of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, Christie M. Curtis,
Acting Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York
Field Office (FBI), and Thomas M. Fattorusso, Special Agent in Charge, Internal
Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), announced the prosecution.
Mr. Peace expressed his appreciation to
the Department of Justice’s National Security Division, the New York State
Office of the Inspector General, the New York State Police and the U.S.
Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) for their work on the
case. He also thanked the New York State Executive Chamber for its
cooperation with the investigation.
“As alleged in the indictment, Linda Sun,
a former New York State government employee, acted as an undisclosed agent of
the Chinese government while her husband, Christopher Hu, facilitated the
transfer of millions of dollars in kickbacks for personal gain. Sun wielded her
position of influence among executives to covertly promote PRC and CCP agendas,
directly threatening our country’s national security. The FBI is committed to
protect the American people from any threat actors who seek to influence officials
at the direction of foreign entities,” stated FBI Acting Assistant Director
Curtis.
“Sun is alleged to be an undisclosed
agent of the PRC and CCP, using Chinese money and her influence within the
state of New York to benefit the Chinese government. Sun and her husband then
laundered millions of dollars for the foreign country and used the monetary
benefits of this scheme to buy luxury vehicles and million dollars properties
here in New York,” Thomas M. Fattorusso, Special Agent in Charge of IRS CI New
York. “It is with the unwavering determination of federal law enforcement
to root-out foreign agents and their schemes that Sun and Hu will now face
justice for their criminal acts.”
As alleged in the indictment, while
working for the New York State government – including in high-ranking posts in
the Executive Chamber of the New York State government and in multiple state
agencies – Sun also acted as an undisclosed agent of the PRC and the CCP. Acting at the request of PRC government
officials and the CCP representatives, Sun engaged in numerous political
activities in the interests of the PRC and the CCP, including blocking
representatives of the Taiwanese government from having access to high-level
New York State officers; changing high-level New York State officers’ messaging
regarding issues of importance to the PRC and the CCP; obtaining official New
York State proclamations for PRC government
representatives without proper authorization; attempting to facilitate a trip
to the PRC by a high-level New York State politician; and arranging meetings
for visiting delegations from the PRC government with New York State government
officials.
Sun also repeatedly violated internal
rules and protocols within the New York State government to provide improper
benefits to PRC and the CCP representatives, including by providing
unauthorized invitation letters from the office of high-level New York State
officers that were used to facilitate travel by PRC government officials into
the United States for meetings with New York State government officials.
Sun’s unauthorized invitation letters for the PRC government delegation
constituted false statements made in connection with immigration documents and
induced the foreign citizens into unlawfully entering the United States.
In
return for these and other actions, Sun received substantial economic and other
benefits from representatives of the PRC government and the CCP, including the
facilitation of millions of dollars in transactions for the PRC-based business
activities of Hu; travel benefits; tickets to events; promotion of a close
family friend’s business; employment for Sun’s cousin in the PRC; and
Nanjing-style salted ducks prepared by a PRC government official’s personal
chef that were delivered to the residence of Sun’s parents. Sun and Hu
laundered the monetary proceeds of this scheme to purchase, among other items,
real estate property in Manhasset, New York currently valued at $4.1 million, a
condominium in Honolulu, Hawaii currently valued at $2.1 million, and various
luxury automobiles, including a 2024 Ferrari. Sun never disclosed any benefits she received from
representatives of the PRC government and the CCP to the New York State
government, as she was required to do as a New York State government
employee.
The charges in the indictment are
allegations and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven
guilty.
The government’s case is being handled by
the Office’s National Security & Cybercrime Section. Assistant United
States Attorneys Alexander A. Solomon and Robert Pollack are in charge of the
prosecution, with the assistance of Trial Attorney Scott Claffee from the
National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section and
Litigation Analyst Mary Clare McMahon. Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura
Mantell of the Office’s Asset Recovery Section is handling forfeiture matters.
The Defendants:
LINDA SUN
Age: 41
Manhasset, New York
CHRIS HU
Age: 40
Manhasset, New York
E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 24-CR-346 (BMC)
Contact
John Marzulli
Danielle Blustein Hass
U.S. Attorney's Office
(718) 254-6323
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