The DOJ accuses China of using illegal police stations in New York City’s Chinatown to spy on and “harass” dissidents in the US: The FBI arrests two men on “espionage charges” for targeting a pro-democracy activist in California
- Lu Jianwang, 61, and Chen Jinping, 59, are scheduled to appear in federal court in Brooklyn on Monday
- Prosecutors say the illegal police station is designed to “silence and harass” people across America.
- The DOJ announced three cases accusing the Chinese government of espionage in the US
The Justice Department has accused China of using an illegal police station in downtown Manhattan to spy on and harass dissidents on US soil.
The US Attorney for the Eastern District of New York confirmed that two men were arrested in connection with the police station in New York’s Chinatown neighborhood.
Lu Jianwang, 61, and Chen Jinping, 59, were both arrested at their New York addresses on Monday morning.
They have been accused of conspiring to act as agents for the Chinese government and are expected to appear in federal court in Brooklyn.
Prosecutors say Jianwang tried to persuade a Chinese refugee to return home and constantly “harassed and threatened” the person in 2018.
The US Attorney for the Eastern District of New York confirmed that two residents were arrested in connection with the station in Manhattan’s Chinatown neighborhood
In 2022, the Chinese government asked Jianwang to locate a pro-democracy Chinese activist living in California.
The couple admitted to the FBI that they deleted their communications with a Chinese government official after discovering they were under investigation.
Both are accused of running the station for a provincial department of the Ministry of Public Security of the People’s Republic of China (PRC).
In addition to the New York case, the Justice Department announced two other cases accusing dozens of Chinese nationals of spying on US soil.
One is aimed at 34 members of the Beijing Public Security Bureau (MPSB) and another at a group of 10 people that also includes eight Chinese government officials.
Breon Peace, the chief federal attorney in Brooklyn, said in a statement, “These indictments expose the flagrant violation of our nation’s sovereignty by the Chinese government by establishing a secret police station in the heart of New York City.”
This is an evolving story.
Located above a ramen shop on East Broadway between Chinatown and the Lower East Side, the New York Secret Police Station opened on February 15