Justice Department Arrests Two Chinese Nationals for Operating Illegal Police Station in New York City

The Justice Department announced on Monday that two Chinese nationals have been arrested on charges of operating an illegal police station in New York City. The station was set up to monitor and intimidate critics of the Chinese government.

The station, located in an office building in Chinatown, was closed in the fall of 2022 after those operating it became aware of the FBI investigation. Lu Jianwang, 61, of the Bronx, and Chen Jinping, 59, of Manhattan, are accused of setting up the first overseas police station in the U.S. on behalf of the Fuzhou branch of China’s Ministry of Public Security.

In addition to the two men, more than three dozen officers with China’s national police force have been charged with using social media to harass dissidents inside the United States. The cases are part of a series of Justice Department prosecutions in recent years aimed at disrupting Chinese government efforts to locate in America pro-democracy activists and others who are openly critical of Beijing’s policies.

The FBI raided the station last October and also seized cellphones belonging to Lu and Chen. The Justice Department has not released any further information about the case, but it is believed that the two men will face a trial in the near future.

The arrests of Lu and Chen are a reminder of the Chinese government’s efforts to monitor and intimidate its critics in the United States. It is a stark reminder that the Chinese government will go to great lengths to silence those who speak out against its policies.