Man accused of operating hidden Chinese government police office in New York City enters a plea, says US Attorney

A New York City resident has pleaded guilty to operating an undisclosed Chinese government police station in the Chinatown section of Manhattan.

Breon Peace, who serves as the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, revealed on Wednesday that Chen Jinping admitted guilt to participating in a scheme to work as a representative of the Chinese government.

“A priority of my office has been to counteract the malign activities of foreign governments that violate our nation’s sovereignty by targeting local diaspora communities in the United States,” Peace said. “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. 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.”

Peace’s office said in a press release that Chen and co-defendant Lu Jianwang not only acted as illegal agents of the Chinese government, but also obstructed justice by destroying evidence of their communications with a Chinese Ministry of Public Security (MPS) official.

Lu Jianwang, right, is seen alongside New York City Mayor Eric Adams at the March 2023 event. (Louis Zhao/Youtube)

Schumer’s office also stated that the federal lawmaker had never met Lu and did not know who he was.

The event was a fundraiser for the Fukien American Association, a cultural nonprofit linked to the Chinese province.

In April 2022, Lu also met New York Democratic Rep. Grace Meng at a fundraising event, according to The Daily Caller, citing images the outlet found. 

Records show that since 2006, Lu has contributed at least $32,625 to New York elected officials, including Adams and New York Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul. 

Fox News Digital’s Greg Norman contributed to this report.