Federal officials announced that a Chinatown man has pleaded guilty to operating a surveillance hub linked to the Chinese government. Chen Jinping, 60, admitted to working with Chinese authorities to monitor dissidents under the guise of running a “police station.”
Breon Peace, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, explained that the operation served as a repressive tool against Chinese nationals living in the U.S. “We will continue to protect the rights of vulnerable persons fleeing repressive regimes,” he said.
American Pleads Guilty to Operating Secret CCP Police Station in NYC's Chinatown
China Joe Biden will probably pardon him https://t.co/4hN6mwvK1c
— Gordon 💥🇺🇸💥🇮🇱 (@StopTheCoup2020) December 19, 2024
The site, housed in a Chinatown office building, was closed in late 2022. Prosecutors said Chen worked with Lu Jianwang, 61, to carry out orders from China’s Ministry of Public Security, including the suppression of online content.
#ChenJinping, an American citizen, has pleaded guilty to helping run the 1st known secret police station in the U.S. in #Manhattan's #Chinatown neighborhood in early 2022 on behalf of #China's Ministry of Public Security (#MPS).https://t.co/yZcjdKCJ9N#NewYorkCity #NYC
— Venus Throw (@OneVenusThrow) December 19, 2024
Chen admitted to acting as an unregistered foreign agent and complying with directives from Beijing. In October 2022, the FBI raided the site, seizing electronics and uncovering deleted communications with Chinese officials.
Lu, who has pleaded not guilty, allegedly helped locate dissidents in the U.S. Chen’s sentencing is set for May 2025. Authorities clarified that the site was not a legitimate law enforcement facility but a covert surveillance operation.
🚨BREAKING: Two Chinese Nationals have been charged with running an “undeclared Chinese government police station” in Manhattan’s Chinatown. pic.twitter.com/7CqQb3USHz
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) April 17, 2023
