Bronx man convicted of running secret Chinese police station in Manhattan used to monitor dissidents
A New York man was convicted Wednesday of helping operate a secret Chinese government-linked police station in Manhattan used to monitor dissidents, federal prosecutors said.
Lu Jianwang, 64, a U.S. citizen also known as "Harry Lu" from the Bronx, was convicted by a jury on two counts related to operating an overseas police station in New York City on behalf of China’s Ministry of Public Security (MPS), as well as obstruction of justice for destroying evidence.
According to prosecutors, Lu and his co-defendant, Chen Jinping, acted as illegal agents of the Chinese government beginning in 2022 and established what authorities described as the first known overseas Chinese police station in the United States.
Chen pleaded guilty in 2024 to conspiring to act as an agent of the People’s Republic of China in connection with the operation.
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Prosecutors said the station operated out of an office building in Lower Manhattan, where investigators found a blue banner reading: "Fuzhou Police Overseas Service Station, New York, USA."
U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Joseph Nocella Jr. said the conviction disrupted a Chinese government operation on American soil.
"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 for blatantly disregarding the law and our country’s sovereignty," he said in a statement.
"Our Office remains resolute in protecting the rights of people seeking freedom from repression and speaking out to bring democracy, reform, and human rights to China," he added.
James C. Barnacle Jr., assistant director in charge of the FBI’s New York field office, said the verdict should send a message to foreign agents operating in the U.S.
"May today’s verdict send a message to other foreign agents – the FBI maintains its unwavering resolve to reveal and disrupt the clandestine operations of adversarial nations," he said in a statement.
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Prosecutors said the Manhattan outpost was part of a broader Chinese government effort to monitor and intimidate dissidents abroad, including in the United States.
According to the DOJ, Lu gathered information for the Chinese government, including helping locate a pro-democracy activist who fled China for the United States.
The FBI searched the outpost in October 2022 and seized phones belonging to Lu and Chen. Investigators later discovered WeChat messages between the men and their Chinese government handler had been deleted.
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Prosecutors said Lu admitted to FBI agents that he established the Manhattan outpost, communicated with his handler through WeChat and deleted the messages.
Lu spoke briefly to supporters outside federal court following the verdict but declined to answer questions from reporters.
His attorney argued the outpost functioned as a community center where Chinese residents could renew driver’s licenses and gather socially.
"This is not espionage. This is not spying. This is not intelligence gathering," attorney John Carman said outside the courthouse. "He wasn’t charged with any of that."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.