NYC Facility Used To Spy On Dissidents Tied To Chinese Government

Federal prosecutors announced Wednesday that Chen Jinping, 60, has pleaded guilty to operating a covert surveillance site in Manhattan’s Chinatown linked to China’s government. The site, misleadingly referred to as a “police station,” targeted critics of Beijing residing in the U.S.

Breon Peace, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, condemned the operation as part of a broader effort to suppress dissent. “We will continue to counteract the malign activities of foreign governments that violate our nation’s sovereignty,” Peace said.

The site, located in a Chinatown business building, operated until its closure in late 2022. Prosecutors said Chen and Lu Jianwang, 61, acted under orders from China’s Ministry of Public Security to surveil individuals critical of the Chinese Communist Party.

Chen confessed in court to agreeing to act as a foreign agent and admitted to failing to notify U.S. officials of his activities. He also acknowledged removing online content about the site at the direction of Chinese authorities.

The FBI searched the site in October 2022, discovering deleted communications with Chinese officials. Prosecutors claim Lu also assisted in locating dissidents within the U.S., though he has pleaded not guilty.

Chen is set for sentencing in May 2025. Authorities stressed that these locations were not lawful police stations but instead tools for foreign repression.

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