A whole floor of a building in New York City's Chinatown secretly operated as an illegal police station for the Chinese government, according to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). Chen Jinping, a Manhattan resident, pleaded guilty in federal court on Wednesday (December 18) to conspiring to act as an agent for the People's Republic of China (PRC). Chen faces up to five years in prison for his role in establishing the undeclared police station on behalf of the PRC's Ministry of Public Security (MPS).

The clandestine station aimed to target local diaspora communities in the U.S., violating 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,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “The Department of Justice will continue to pursue anyone who attempts to aid the PRC’s efforts to extend their repressive reach into the United States.”

Chen, a naturalized U.S. citizen, admitted to removing an online article about the PRC's operations at the station in 2022, following instructions from a Chinese government official. The FBI arrested Chen and another man in April 2023, charging them with conspiracy to act as foreign agents and obstructing justice by deleting communications with Chinese officials. The police station was shut down after a search warrant was executed in 2022.

Chen's co-defendant, Lu Jianwang, has pleaded not guilty and is awaiting trial. Chen is scheduled for sentencing on May 30, 2025, and his plea agreement is part of ongoing efforts by the DOJ to counteract foreign governments' repressive activities within the United States.

Mike McConnell