NYPD Commissioner's Top Aide Linked to Chinese Groups

A top aide to New York Police Department Commissioner Edward Caban, who is under mounting pressure to resign his post, has been linked to groups connected with the Chinese Communist Party, according to a report Wednesday.

Lin Gui'an, 49, the aide New York City Mayor Eric Adams "hand-picked" as the assistant director of the Police Commissioner Liaison Unit, served for 12 years as the vice chairman of a nonprofit linked to the United Front, reported The New York Post, citing records it viewed. 

The United Front is a web of community groups and school associations controlled by the CCP, and according to The Post, Lin has been photographed at events along with members of United Front groups. 

A spokesperson for the NYPD initially did not comment on the claims about Lin, but on Wednesday said that he "came to the department as a Deputy Director which does not require mayoral approval. This was strictly a Police Commissioner appointment."

The report about Lin comes after the arrest of Linda Sun, a former aide of Gov. Kathy Hochul. Sun is facing 10 criminal counts, including visa fraud, money laundering, and conspiring to act as a foreign agent for China.

Lin, who sources call Caban's "right hand," has not been charged with any crimes. 

Federal agents last week raided Caban's home. There has been no public statement about the raids, but sources said the investigation concerned "undue" influence on the NYPD from China and Turkey. 

Lin reportedly also has close ties to Winnie Greco, an Adams aide who is special adviser and director of Asian affairs. Federal authorities are seeking private emails and records of trips to China Greco organized for Adams when he was a Brooklyn borough president, according to Post reports from June. 

Greco also has denied misconduct and has not been charged with any crimes. 

Lin and Greco attended events in New York sponsored by United Front groups that were working with the Chinese Consulate in the city, Chinese-language media reported.

He also got an award from the Dong Guan Association, which listed Greco as a consultant from 2011 to 2023. She denies being associated with the group and asked it to take her name off of its website. 

Lin started with the NYPD as deputy director of its Community Ambassador Program, but by early 2023, he joined the Office of the Chief of Patrol. He was promoted in a "triple jump" move to his current position and became the first Chinese-American assistant chief in the NYPD's history. 

But most of Lin's prior career was in the hospitality industry. He owns China Star, a Bronx Chinese restaurant, which he registered in 1997, four years after coming to the United States from China. 

Sources said Lin's policing experience had been limited to voluntary or auxiliary service, along with three years as an adviser to White Plains public safety commissioner, starting in 2018. 

The Post's call to White Plains Public Safety Commissioner David Chong was not returned. 

Lin, shortly after his promotion, spoke at a gala on Sept. 18, 2023, at a Manhattan Chinese Restaurant. It was sponsored by the Lienchiang No. 2 High School Alumni Association, located in China’s Fujian province.

According to the CIA, "alumni associations" from China have been identified as United Front organizations.

Lin was honored less than a year later at an event sponsored by the Fujian Tangtou Association in Flushing. During the event, it was noted that several Chinese police officers had joined the NYPD and more were welcome, according to video reviewed by The Post.

• Gov. Hochul Aide Charged With Acting as Chinese Agent