In a startling revelation, a New York resident has admitted to operating an unofficial police station on behalf of the Chinese government in Manhattan.
This confession comes approximately a year after it was disclosed that the Chinese government was attempting to stifle dissidents who had sought refuge in the United States.
Chen Jinping, a 60-year-old man, confessed on Wednesday to charges associated with conspiring to act as an agent for the Chinese government. His mission was to manage an unauthorized police station in the heart of Manhattan. According to The Post Millennial, Chen's admission of guilt could result in a five-year prison sentence, as stated in a press release from the Department of Justice.
US Attorney Breon Peace, who is prosecuting the case, informed the media about Chen's involvement in a "transnational repression scheme to establish a secret police station in the middle of New York City on behalf of the national police force of the Peoples Republic of China." Chen, a naturalized US citizen, was reported by CNN.
Peace further elaborated, Today, a participant in a transnational repression scheme who worked to establish a secret police station in the middle of New York City on behalf of the national police force of the Peoples Republic of China has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to act as an illegal agent. We will continue our efforts to protect the rights of vulnerable persons who come to this country to escape the repressive activities of authoritarian regimes."
FBI Assistant Director in Charge Dennehy also weighed in on the matter, stating, Today, Chen Jinping admitted to his role in audaciously establishing an undeclared police station in the heart of New York City and attempting to conceal the effort when approached by FBI New York."
Chen and his co-defendant, 62-year-old Lu Jianwang, both US citizens, were apprehended and charged in April 2023 with acting as foreign agents, as reported by the Guardian. Lu's trial is still pending. The Department of Justice revealed that the unofficial Chinese police station "occupied an entire floor in an office building in Manhattans Chinatown," and that "Chen and Lu helped open and operate the clandestine police station. None of the participants in the scheme informed the US government that they were helping the PRC government open and operate an undeclared MPS [Chinese Ministry of Public Service] police station on US soil."
The operation was brought to a halt in October 2022 when the FBI executed an authorized search of the station. The defendants' electronic devices were seized, revealing that Lu and Chen had been in communication with China's Ministry of Public Security. This case serves as a stark reminder of the lengths to which authoritarian regimes will go to suppress dissent, even on foreign soil, and the ongoing need for vigilance in protecting the rights of those who seek refuge in the United States.
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