A resident of New York City pleaded guilty on Wednesday in Brooklyn federal court to a charge of conspiracy linked to the operation of a facility that allegedly targeted and monitored Chinese political dissidents.
Prosecutors accused Chen Jinping, along with an accomplice, of acting on behalf of Beijing’s Ministry of Public Security at a Manhattan office that also provided legitimate consular services. This illicit endeavor, which ran for most of 2022, was eventually shut down following a criminal probe by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
“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,” Breon Peace, the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, said in a statement. “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.”
China’s communist government is believed to be overseeing similar establishments in areas with large expatriate populations in other Western nations.
Chen faces up to five years in prison when sentenced on May 30.
Related Story: China Operates Police Stations Around the World to Monitor Chinese Citizens Abroad, Report Says
