Man Found Guilty of Operating Illegal Police Station for China in NYC
A jury determined on Tuesday that a 64-year-old man, Lu Jianwan, was guilty of acting as an illegal agent for the Chinese government, running a police station in New York City on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
Reports suggest that Lu was also convicted for obstructing justice by deleting online correspondences that allegedly included directives from the Chinese government to intimidate and silence dissenters. Prosecutors highlighted that Lu, also known as Harry Lu, established this police station in Manhattan’s Chinatown in 2022 alongside his co-defendant, Chen Jinping.
U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocera commented that this case exposed a police operation that operated contrary to U.S. law and sovereignty, emphasizing the accountability of its founders.
Prosecutors noted that Lu’s initiative followed an event in Fujian province, where Chinese authorities had announced plans to open numerous covert police stations globally.
After the week-long trial in Brooklyn, Lu’s attorney, John Carman, expressed intentions to appeal the verdict, firmly asserting that his client was not involved in espionage. “This isn’t espionage,” he reiterated, insisting that Lu wasn’t charged with such allegations.
The defense presented the location as a community center where locals could renew Chinese driver’s licenses without traveling back to China, claiming it also served as a venue for recreational activities like table tennis and mahjong. They noted collaborations with the American Chogaku Association, which has connections to the Chinese Communist Party.
During the trial, jurors observed a banner marking the space as the “U.S. New York State Fuzhou Police Overseas Service Office.” Testimony from Chinese dissident Xu Jie also suggested that the outpost was linked to attacks on dissenters.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Antoinette Rangel argued that the CCP utilized such outposts to surveil perceived adversaries, stating that the initiative emanated directly from the Chinese government, not the defendants.
Lu Jianwan could face a maximum of ten years in prison for his role as an illegal foreign agent, alongside up to twenty years for the obstruction charge. He is currently released on bail while awaiting sentencing.
Another co-defendant had already admitted guilt regarding conspiracy to act on behalf of a foreign government.
The FBI began raiding the police station on October 3, 2022. The following day, Lu reportedly admitted to establishing the outpost and communicating instructions through WeChat, although he deleted those messages. Some of the deleted messages were later recovered from his cellphone, suggesting he was indeed following orders from the Chinese authorities.
