Lu Jianwang, 61, a resident of the Bronx, and Chen Jinping, 59, from Manhattan, have been recently arrested by the Justice Department. They have been charged with operating an illegal police station in New York City on behalf of the Fuzhou branch of China’s Ministry of Public Security.

Who are Lu Jianwang and Chen Jinping?

Lu Jianwang and Chen Jinping’s alleged activities involved monitoring and intimidating critics of the Chinese government. The police station, which was purportedly the first overseas station of its kind in the United States, was clandestinely located in an office building in Chinatown. However, it was closed down in the autumn of 2022 after Lu Jianwang and Chen Jinping became aware of an ongoing FBI investigation into their activities, as revealed by federal prosecutors.

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In October of the same year, FBI agents conducted a raid on the illegal police station and also seized cellphones belonging to Lu Jianwang and Chen Jinping. During their investigation, federal prosecutors discovered that communications between the two men and a Ministry of Public Security official had been deleted, suggesting attempts to cover up their activities.

“It is simply outrageous that China’s Ministry of Public Security thinks it can get away with establishing a secret, illegal police station on U.S. soil to aid its efforts to export repression and subvert our rule of law,” FBI’s acting Assistant Director of the Counterintelligence Division, Kurt Ronnow said.

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The arrest of Lu Jianwang and Chen Jinping underscores the serious allegations against them for their alleged involvement in operating an illegal police station in the United States, which is accused of monitoring and intimidating critics of the Chinese government. The case continues to unfold as more information comes to light.