Chen Jinping, a resident of Manhattan, has pleaded guilty in a Brooklyn federal court to conspiring to act as an agent for the Chinese government. He was involved in opening and operating an undisclosed overseas police station in lower Manhattan for China's Ministry of Public Security (MPS). The case was presided over by United States District Judge Nina R. Morrison, and Chen faces up to five years in prison.
The announcement of the guilty plea was made by Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; Matthew G. Olsen, Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s National Security Division; and James E. Dennehy, Assistant Director in Charge at the FBI's New York Field Office.
United States Attorney Peace emphasized the importance of countering foreign governments' activities that threaten U.S. sovereignty and target diaspora communities: "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 People’s Republic of China has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to act as an illegal agent."
Assistant Attorney General Olsen remarked on the implications for American sovereignty: “Today’s guilty plea holds the defendant accountable for his brazen efforts to operate an undeclared overseas police station on behalf of the PRC’s national police force — a clear affront to American sovereignty and danger to our community that will not be tolerated.”
FBI Assistant Director Dennehy noted Chen's attempts to conceal his actions: “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.”
Court filings reveal that Chen Jinping and co-defendant Lu Jianwang conspired as illegal agents for China, obstructing justice by destroying communications with an MPS official. They established what is believed to be America's first overseas police station on behalf of MPS's Fuzhou branch. This clandestine operation occupied an entire floor within Manhattan's Chinatown before closing in fall 2022.
In October 2022, following a judicially authorized search, FBI agents interviewed both defendants and seized their phones. It was found that communications between them and the MPS Official had been deleted.
Lu Jianwang has pleaded not guilty and awaits trial. The prosecution is managed by Assistant United States Attorneys Alexander A. Solomon and Antoinette N. Rangel with assistance from Trial Attorney Scott A. Claffee.
The FBI encourages victims of transnational repression by foreign governments within the U.S. to report incidents through their dedicated website.