DOJ accuses China of using an illegal police station in NYC’s Chinatown to spy and “harass” dissidents within the US: FBI arrests two men on espionage charges to target a pro-democracy activist in California
- Lu Jian Wang, 61, and Chen Jinping, 59, are scheduled to appear in federal court in Brooklyn on Monday.
- Prosecutors say the illegal police station to “silence and harass” individuals across America
- The Department of Justice announced three cases accusing the Chinese government of espionage in the United States
The Justice Department has accused China of using an illegal police station in midtown Manhattan to spy and harass dissidents on US soil.
The US Attorney for the Eastern District of New York has confirmed that two men have been arrested in connection with the station in New York City’s Chinatown neighborhood.
Lu Jian Wang, 61, and Chen Jinping, 59, were arrested Monday morning at their addresses in New York.
They have been charged with conspiracy to act as agents of the Chinese government and are expected to appear in federal court in Brooklyn.
Prosecutors say Jianwang tried to persuade the Chinese fugitive to return home, and constantly harassed and threatened him in 2018.
The US Attorney for the Eastern District of New York has confirmed that two residents have been arrested in connection with the station in Manhattan’s Chinatown neighborhood.
In 2022, Jianwang is asked by the Chinese government to locate a Chinese pro-democracy activist living in California.
The couple admitted to the FBI that they deleted their contacts with a Chinese government official after discovering they were under investigation.
Both are accused of running the station for a regional branch of the Ministry of Public Security of the People’s Republic of China.
If convicted of conspiring to act as agents of the People’s Republic of China, the defendants face a maximum penalty of five years in prison.
The charge of obstruction of justice carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
In addition to the case in New York, the Department of Justice has announced two other cases accusing dozens of Chinese citizens of spying on US soil.
One is against 34 members of the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau, and the other is against a group of 10 people including eight Chinese government officials.
Members of the MPSB are accused of creating fake social media accounts across various platforms to harass Chinese dissidents in the United States and promote propaganda from China – including related to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The third case concerned Chinese security officials allegedly spying on Zoom calls and then harassing those they identified as their targets.
Ten Chinese officials have been charged with conspiring with a telecom company employee.
“This trial exposes the Chinese government’s flagrant violation of our nation’s sovereignty by setting up a secret police station in downtown New York,” Brion Pace, the top federal prosecutor in Brooklyn, said in a statement.
This is a developing story.
The New York secret police station is located above a ramen shop located on East Broadway between Chinatown and East East, and opened on February 15th.
