Linda Sun visited Beijing in the winter of 2018, according to federal prosecutors, a Chinese businessman based in the US made travel arrangements for her and reserved a presidential suite once used by First Lady Michelle Obama. A year later, on a second trip to Beijing, Sun exchanged correspondence with the same businessman and discussed her possible attendance to a military parade, ultimately attending a reception to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.
Then came the summer of 2020, when the FBI summoned Sun for an interview.