Chinese nationals arrested for NYC police station, monitoring dissidents

Apr 18, 2023

Shannon Longworth Reporter

By Shannon Longworth (Reporter), Ben Burke (Producer)

Authorities arrested two Chinese nationals on Monday, April 17, for running a secret, illegal police station in New York City. The Department of Justice has accused Lu Jianwang and Chen Jinping of helping “monitor and intimidate” Chinese dissidents in the United States.

China has since called the accusations “groundless” and said the operation was simply a service center. Federal prosecutors say the officers staffing the station were reportedly from China’s Ministry of Public Security and were operating in the U.S. without the knowledge or consent of American authorities.

“The two defendants whose arrests we’re announcing today destroyed evidence of their communications with the Chinese National Police when they learned of the FBI’s investigation. These two defendants knew they had something to hide and they obstructed justice in an attempt to prevent the FBI from learning the full extent of what they were up to,” said Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York.

This case is not an isolated incident. On Monday, the Department of Justice unsealed two other criminal complaints alleging that 44 Chinese nationals were targeting critics of the People’s Republic of China. Of the 44, 34 were allegedly involved in a data-mining project to collect negative comments about the government on Twitter. These incidents have raised concerns about the Chinese government’s activities on American soil and whether they are violating U.S. laws. Earlier this year, a Chinese spy balloon’s journey across the U.S. contributed to these concerns.

Tags: China, Chinese Spy Balloon, People’s Republic of China, U.S. Department of Justice

SHANNON LONGWORTH: AUTHORITIES ARRESTED TWO CHINESE NATIONALS FOR RUNNING A SECRET, ILLEGAL POLICE STATION IN NEW YORK CITY.

NOW, CHINA’S CALLING THE ACCUSATIONS “GROUNDLESS,” AND SAYS THE OPERATION WAS SIMPLY A SERVICE CENTER. BUT, ALLEGEDLY, THE TWO MEN WORKING THERE DID MORE THAN JUST HELP PEOPLE RENEW THEIR LICENSES…THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE SAYS THE MEN HELPED “MONITOR AND INTIMIDATE” CHINESE DISSIDENTS IN THE US.

PROSECUTORS SAY THE STATION WAS LOCATED IN A CHINATOWN OFFICE BUILDING. AND THAT THE OFFICERS STAFFING THE STATION WERE REPORTEDLY FROM CHINA’S MINISTRY OF PUBLIC SECURITY, AND THEY WERE OPERATING IN THE U.S. WITHOUT THE KNOWLEDGE OR CONSENT OF AMERICAN AUTHORITIES.

BREON PEACE: “THE TWO DEFENDANTS WHOSE ARRESTS WE’RE ANNOUNCING TODAY DESTROYED EVIDENCE OF THEIR COMMUNICATIONS WITH THE CHINESE NATIONAL POLICE WHEN THEY LEARNED OF THE FBI’S INVESTIGATION. THESE TWO DEFENDANTS KNEW THEY HAD SOMETHING TO HIDE AND THEY OBSTRUCTED JUSTICE IN AN ATTEMPT TO PREVENT THE FBI FROM LEARNING THE FULL EXTENT OF WHAT THEY WERE UP TO.”

LONGWORTH: LU JIANWANG AND CHEN JINPING AREN’T THE ONLY ONES RECENTLY ACCUSED OF HARASSING DISSIDENTS ABROAD.

ON MONDAY, THE DOJ UNSEALED TWO OTHER CRIMINAL COMPLAINTS, WHICH CLAIM *44* CHINESE NATIONALS WERE TARGETING CRITICS OF THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA. 34 OF THEM WERE ALLEGEDLY INVOLVED IN A DATA-MINING PROJECT TO COLLECT NEGATIVE COMMENTS ABOUT THE GOVERNMENT ON TWITTER.

THIS STORY’S RAISED CONCERNS ABOUT THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT’S ACTIVITIES ON AMERICAN SOIL AND WHETHER THEY’RE VIOLATING U.S. LAWS. PARTICULARLY, FOLLOWING THE SPY BALLOON’S JOURNEY ACROSS THE US EARLIER THIS YEAR.