Former Gov. Hochul Aide Arrested With Husband In NY Probe

Linda Sun, a former top aide to Gov. Hochul, and her husband were arrested after a raid on their $3.5 million home in Manhasset, NY. Charges are still unclear.

Linda Sun, once a top aide to Governor Hochul, found herself in deep trouble on Tuesday. Federal authorities arrested her and her husband, Chris Hu, in the early morning hours, just a month and a half after their luxurious $3.5 million home in Manhasset was raided. The couple is set to appear in Brooklyn Federal Court soon.

The arrest has many talking, but the exact charges remain a mystery. A spokesperson for Brooklyn U.S. Attorney Breon Peace confirmed the arrests but kept silent about what led to them. The secrecy only adds to the drama surrounding Sun's sudden fall from grace.

Sun’s journey in politics began with promise. She was appointed as Governor Hochul’s deputy chief of staff in September 2021. However, her time in that role was brief. 

By November 2022, she had moved on to work as a deputy commissioner in the New York Department of Labor. Her career seemed to be on an upward path, but that changed in March 2023.

In March, Linda Sun was fired from her position at the Department of Labor. The reason? "Evidence of misconduct," said Avi Small, a spokesperson for Governor Hochul. While Small didn’t give details about the misconduct, he made it clear that the administration acted quickly. They reported Sun’s actions to law enforcement and fully cooperated with the investigation. This turn of events shocked many, as Sun had been trusted with significant roles in state government.

After leaving state government, Sun didn’t fade from the public eye. Instead, she took on a new challenge—managing the campaign of Austin Cheng. Cheng was a Democrat running for New York’s 3rd Congressional District. 

He hoped to take the seat left by Republican George Santos after his expulsion from Congress. Unfortunately, Cheng’s campaign didn’t succeed, adding another setback to Sun’s recent history.

Before her recent troubles, Linda Sun had a solid political career. From 2009 to 2012, she served as chief of staff to Grace Meng, a State Assemblywoman from Queens. 

Meng is now a U.S. Representative for New York’s 6th District. In 2012, Sun joined then-Governor Andrew Cuomo’s team as a liaison to the Asian American communities in Queens. 

Her role later expanded, and she led trade and investment missions to various countries as part of Empire State Development’s Global NY program.

Now, with her and her husband’s arrest, the once-promising career of Linda Sun is overshadowed by uncertainty and legal troubles.