NYC man admits running secret Chinese police station

New York City resident Chen Jinping on Wednesday pleaded guilty to conspiring to act as an illegal agent for China. Federal prosecutors said that Chen and co-defendant Lu Jianwang in early 2022 opened and operated a branch of China’s Ministry of Public Security in Manhattan’s Chinatown neighborhood. American authorities in the fall of 2022 searched and closed the office. Officials in April 2023 charged the men with operating the police station. Chen faces up to five years in prison and the U.S. government has agreed to dismiss an obstruction of justice charge against him in exchange for his guilty plea. Lu has pleaded not guilty and is awaiting trial.

Why did the men set up the office? The office helped Chinese citizens renew their Chinese driver’s licenses. But it also identified pro-democracy activists living in the United States, according to federal authorities. The defendants’ actions are a reminder of China’s efforts to threaten, harass, and intimidate those who speak out against the Communist Party, FBI Executive Assistant Director Robert Wells said.

Dig deeper: Read Erica Kwong’s report in World Tour about how covert Chinese outposts target dissidents abroad.