Man admits to running secret Chinese police station in NYC
SUMMARY
A U.S. man, Chen Jinping, has pleaded guilty to helping operate the first known secret Chinese police station in New York's Chinatown, a facility set up in early 2022 on behalf of China's Ministry of Public Security (MPS). The outpost, located above a ramen restaurant, offered basic services like renewing Chinese driver’s licenses but also assisted Beijing in identifying and targeting pro-democracy activists in the U.S. Chen, 60, faces up to five years in prison for conspiring to act as an agent for China. The FBI closed the station in fall 2022 after launching an investigation, and both Chen and his co-defendant, Lu Jianwang, destroyed evidence when they learned of the probe. The MPS has denied the existence of such "police stations," claiming they are merely "service stations" for Chinese nationals abroad. The case is part of a broader U.S. effort to curb China's covert operations, including charges against other individuals linked to Chinese government interests in the U.S.
