What's New
A Manhattan man has pleaded guilty to aiding the establishment of a secret police station in New York City operated by the Chinese government.
Why It Matters
The guilty plea marked a significant development in U.S. efforts to curb foreign interference as China is suspected of running covert police outposts across North America, Europe and other regions with significant Chinese diaspora communities.
While China has dismissed these allegations, claiming the facilities are merely service centers assisting citizens with tasks like renewing driver's licenses, critics and officials argue the operations serve a more sinister purpose.
What to Know
Chen Jinping, 60, pleaded guilty on a single count of conspiracy to act as an agent of a foreign government in Brooklyn federal court on Wednesday.
Prosecutors say Chen and his co-defendant, Lu Jianwang, opened and operated a local branch of China's Ministry of Public Security in Manhattan's Chinatown neighborhood starting in early 2022.
According to federal prosecutors, the station offered seemingly mundane services like assisting Chinese citizens in renewing driver's licenses. However, its darker purpose was to surveil and identify pro-democracy activists living in the U.S., aligning with the People's Republic of China's broader agenda of transnational repression.
The operation, shut down amid an FBI probe in late 2022, was part of a larger network of such facilities. While Beijing has insisted these outposts are mere service centers, U.S. officials describe them as clandestine extensions of China's authoritarian apparatus.
Further complicating the investigation, Chen and Lu reportedly deleted messages with their Chinese government contacts in an effort to obstruct justice, prosecutors said.
What Are People Saying
Matthew Olsen, assistant attorney general for the Justice Department, said in a statement that Chen admitted in court to his role in "audaciously establishing an undeclared police station" in Manhattan and attempting to conceal the effort when approached by the FBI.
"This illegal police station was not opened in the interest of public safety, but to further the nefarious and repressive aims of the PRC in direct violation of American sovereignty," Olsen said, referring to the People's Republic of China (PRC)
Executive Assistant Director Robert Wells of the FBI's National Security Branch said in a press statement: "Today's acknowledgment of guilt is a stark reminder of the insidious efforts taken by the PRC government to threaten, harass, and intimidate those who speak against their Communist Party. These blatant violations will not be tolerated on U.S. soil. The FBI remains committed to preserving the rights and freedoms of all people in our country and will defend against transnational repression at every front."
U.S. Attorney Breon Peace for the Eastern District of New York said in a press statement: "A priority of my office has been to counteract the malign activities of foreign governments that violate our nation's sovereignty by targeting local diaspora communities in the United States."
According to The Associated Press, lawyers for Chen and Lu didn't immediately respond to emails seeking comment Wednesday
What Happens Next
The arrests, carried out in April 2023, underscore a growing U.S. crackdown on attempts by foreign governments to harass, threaten and silence dissidents within American borders. Chen, whose sentencing is set for May 30, faces up to five years in prison.
Lu, meanwhile, awaits a February court date. Prosecutors allege his long-standing ties to Chinese law enforcement were instrumental in earlier efforts to intimidate dissidents, including locating a pro-democracy activist in California.
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.
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