The Chinese have been reported to have set up police stations in the United States and up until now, the feds have left them alone. Now, two men, Harry” Lu Jianwang, 61, of The Bronx, and Chen Jinping, 59, of Manhattan have been arrested for operating one of these communist Chinese police stations in New York. They were allegedly operating a provincial branch of the Ministry of Public Security (MPS) of the People’s Republic of China (PRC).
The secret police station was opened in the Spring of 2022, but because they became aware that the FBI was investigating them they closed by the fall of 2022. The charges against the men include “conspiring to act as agents of the PRC government as well as obstructing justice by destroying evidence of their communications with an MPS official.”
The DOJ said that Lu had “a longstanding relationship of trust with PRC law enforcement” and participated in various activities assisting China’s repressive activities on U.S. soil, including:
- In 2015, during PRC President Xi Jinping’s visit to the United States, Lu participated in counterprotests in Washington, D.C,. against members of a religion that is forbidden under PRC law. A deputy director of the MPS awarded Lu a plaque for the work he performed on behalf of the PRC government.
- In 2018, Lu was enlisted in efforts to cause a purported PRC fugitive to return to the PRC. The victim reported being repeatedly harassed to return to the PRC, including through threats of violence made to the victim and the victim’s family in the United States and in the PRC.
- In 2022, the MPS Official sought Lu’s assistance in locating an individual living in California who is a pro-democracy activist. In turn, Lu enlisted the help of another coconspirator. Later, when confronted by the FBI about these conversations, Lu denied that they occurred.
If the two men are convicted, they are looking at a maximum sentence of twenty-five years in prison.
Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division said:
“The PRC, through its repressive security apparatus, established a secret physical presence in New York City to monitor and intimidate dissidents and those critical of its government. PRC’s actions go far beyond the bounds of acceptable nation-state conduct. We will resolutely defend the freedoms of all those living in our country from the threat of authoritarian repression.”
VISIT OUR YOUTUBE CHANNELActing Assistant Director Kurt Ronnow of the FBI Counterintelligence Division said:
“This case serves as a powerful reminder that the People’s Republic of China will stop at nothing to bend people to their will and silence messages they don’t want anyone to hear. The FBI is dedicated to protecting everyone in the United States against efforts to undermine our democratic freedoms, and we’ll hold any state actors – and those who help them – accountable for breaking our laws.”
When will they close up all of the PRC police stations in the United States?
