A former aide to two New York governors is scheduled to go an trial early this month for wire fraud, bribery and conspiracy in what has been called a landmark case around Chinese influence and espionage in the United States. During her time working for New York Governors Andrew Cuomo and later Kathy Hochul, Linda Sun together with her husband allegedly steered and received kickbacks for contracts around the purchase of coronavirus-related supplies from China by the state government. She also stands accused of tax evasion, money laundering and influencing official messaging in regards to China. Prosecuters said that Sun and husband Chris Hu received lavish gifts and business favors, faked official documents inviting Chinese functionaries to New York and were tasked with furthering the relationship of Chinese province Henan and the state of New York by representatives of the Chinese government. Sun's dealings with the Chinese consulate and other government organizations have also come under scrutiny. The couple purchased a $4 million mansion and a Ferrari with the proceeds of the scheme, reports said.
Sun had worked in the Cuomo Administration since 2012 and was fired in early 2023. Born in China, she is a naturalized U.S. citizen and has lived in the country since age 5.
Sun's and Hu's case is just the latest in string of high-profile Chinese espionage scandals in the United States, including a military spying case in Oregon and California, the case of a Navy sailor allegedly funneling sensitive information to China, a hacking scandal involving Rep. John Moolenaar (R-Mich.), the head of the House China Select Committee, and a Chinese-American figure skater and her family being surveilled. Data from the Center for Strategic and International Studies shows that between the years 2000 and 2022, the number of publicly reported cases of Chinese espionage in the United States grew. It dipped briefly in 2016 after the 2015 Obama-era deal with China to curb cyber spying and economic cyber espionage.
In 2022, the CSIS only counted 16 U.S. cases, down from a high of 26 in 2020, but this potentially coronavirus related-trend did not continue. Experts say that Chinese spying efforts in the U.S. continue to grow and that China has the most active network of spies in the world. The FBI agrees that China is the biggest cyber threat to the United States. However, the CSIS also says that its data might not be complete, that there is no knowledge around undetected cases and that awareness of the topic has also risen.
