A Bronx man and a U.S. citizen was convicted Wednesday in federal court for running an illegal Chinese police station in the heart of Manhattan’s Chinatown.
Lu Jianwang, also known as Harry Lu, was found guilty by a jury on two charges: acting as an illegal agent of the Chinese government and obstructing justice. The verdict was reached after a one-week trial in Brooklyn federal court.
Prosecutors say Lu and another man opened the outpost in January 2022 at 107 East Broadway on orders from China’s Ministry of Public Security. The station operated quietly until the FBI raided it in October 2022.
FBI agents found a blue banner that read “Fuzhou Police Overseas Service Station, New York, USA,” when they raided the office, or rather, the said police station. It was the first known Chinese police station on American soil, officials said.
Lu faces a maximum of 30 years in prison at sentencing. His co-defendant, Chen Jinping, pleaded guilty to related charges in December 2024 and is awaiting sentencing.
Lu Was Working Directly with the Chinese Government
During the trial, prosecutors showed how Lu worked directly with a handler from China’s Ministry of Public Security.
The ministry is China’s main police and intelligence agency. Court records say the men collected information for Beijing and targeted Chinese dissidents living in the United States.
One task given to Lu was to help locate a pro-democracy activist who had fled China and settled in America.
The station was part of a larger global push by Chinese authorities to set up similar outposts around the world to monitor and pressure people who criticize the Chinese government.
None of those involved told U.S. authorities they were opening a foreign police office on American soil.
When the FBI searched the site in 2022, agents interviewed the two men and seized their phones. Later, investigators found that messages between the defendants and their Chinese handler on the WeChat app had been deleted. That resulted in the obstruction-of-justice charge against Lu.
U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. called the case a clear victory for American sovereignty.
“A police station operating in New York City at the direction of the Chinese government has been exposed, its sinister purpose disrupted, and its founder held accountable,” Nocella said in a statement on May 13.
FBI Assistant Director in Charge James C. Barnacle Jr. said the verdict sends a strong warning.
“Lu Jianwang used a police station in New York City to target PRC dissidents in furtherance of the Chinese government’s political agenda,” Barnacle said.
“The FBI maintains its unwavering resolve to reveal and disrupt the clandestine operations of adversarial nations.”
The FBI has set up a special website where victims of such tactics can report what is happening to them.
China Denies the Allegations
China has denied operating any unauthorized police stations in other countries, saying the offices only assist Chinese citizens with routine tasks such as renewing driver’s licenses.
U.S. officials reject that explanation, pointing to evidence that the stations are used to harass and threaten political opponents.
The Chinatown station was located in a busy office building in a neighborhood home to many Chinese immigrants and businesses.
Its discovery shocked local activists who have long complained about being watched and pressured by Beijing.
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Lu had become a U.S. citizen, but prosecutors said that did not stop him from working on behalf of the Chinese government.
The trial before U.S. District Judge Nina R. Morrison featured evidence gathered during the FBI search and from the defendants’ own phones and communications.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Antoinette N. Rangel and Lindsey R. Oken led the prosecution.
This case is one of several recent efforts by the Justice Department to crack down on covert Chinese influence operations inside the United States.
Federal authorities have charged multiple people in recent years for similar activities, including attempts to silence critics of the Chinese Communist Party.
