Linda Sun trial: FBI agents seized bundles of money, a Rolex watch, a pearl necklace and other items during probe, testimony shows

Authorities seized more than $130,000 in cash in a safety deposit box leased by the mother of Linda Sun, the former gubernatorial aide from Long Island who is accused of illegally influencing New York State on behalf of China, an FBI agent testified on Monday in federal court in Brooklyn.

Special Agent John Ferraraccio said that he found bundles of $100 bills in the safety deposit box totaling $130,100 while executing a search warrant at a TD Bank branch in Flushing in July 2024.

Ferraraccio said he only assisted with the search warrant and was not further involved in the investigation, and acknowledged that he did not know if the cash and other items seized by officials conducting search warrants were linked to criminal wrongdoing.

"Where did the money come from?" Sun's defense attorney Jarrod L. Schaeffer asked Ferraraccio.

"I don’t know," the FBI agent said.

Sun, 41, a former aide to Gov. Kathy Hochul and then-Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, has pleaded not guilty to charges that include violating and conspiring to violate the Foreign Agents Registration Act, visa fraud, bank fraud and other charges.

Her husband, Chris Hu, 42, has also pleaded not guilty to money laundering conspiracy, conspiracy to commit bank fraud and other charges. U.S. District Judge Brian Cogan said the couple’s trial, which began last week in Brooklyn federal court, is expected to last for several weeks.

Prosecutors alleged that Sun and Hu received millions of dollars from China for Sun's actions, including business for Hu's China-based seafood business. The couple purchased a $4 million home in Manhasset, a condominium in Hawaii and a luxury sports car with the illegal proceeds, prosecutors said.

Agents also seized a Rolex watch worth more than $10,000, a pearl necklace and other items while searching Sun’s Manhasset home and a Flushing condominium owned by Sun’s parents. Sun's parents have not been charged in the case. 

Sun worked for the state government from 2015 to 2023 and acted at the direction of the Chinese government and Chinese Communist Party to mold New York policy to favor China’s interests, prosecutors have said.

Sun, who joined the Cuomo administration in 2012, prevented representatives of the Taiwanese government from having access to Cuomo and later Hochul, in order to please the Chinese government, which does not recognize Taiwan as an independent country, prosecutors said.

Sun, who worked as Hochul’s deputy chief of staff and later at the state's Department of Labor, also allegedly obtained official New York State proclamations for Chinese government representatives without proper authorization and arranged meetings for visiting delegations from the Chinese government, prosecutors said.

Sun also forged Hochul's signature on invitations purporting to be from the state government, inviting officials from the Chinese government to visit New York, which the Chinese officials used to unlawfully obtain visas to travel to the United States, prosecutors said.

Sun traveled to China multiple times as part of the scheme, including a March 2017 trip with Hu to Henan province, which was funded by the Henan provincial government, prosecutors said. She went to Beijing in September 2019 to attend celebrations of the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors said Sun did not report any of the gifts or travel on her annual ethics forms.

Testimony in the trial resumes on Tuesday.