Chen Jinping, 60, admitted Wednesday to conspiring with Chinese officials to operate a surveillance site in Chinatown, Manhattan. Prosecutors said the site was falsely presented as a “police station” but was used to monitor critics of Beijing.
Breon Peace, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, described the operation as part of a broader repression scheme targeting diaspora communities. Chen, alongside Lu Jianwang, 61, allegedly worked under the direction of China’s Ministry of Public Security to silence dissenters in the U.S.
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 covert site, situated on the top floor of a Chinatown building, operated until its closure in late 2022. Chen admitted to receiving orders from Beijing, including the removal of an article about the facility, and failing to register as a foreign agent.
#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
FBI agents raided the site in October 2022, seizing electronics and uncovering evidence of deleted communications with Chinese officials. Lu, who has pleaded not guilty, is accused of aiding in the identification of dissidents for the Chinese government.
Chen’s sentencing is scheduled for May 2025. Federal authorities emphasized that such sites are surveillance hubs, not legitimate police stations, and pose a threat to U.S. sovereignty.
🚨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
