Chen Jinping, a 60-year-old Manhattan resident, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to conspiring to act as an illegal agent for the Chinese government by operating a secret police station in New York City. Chen entered his plea in Brooklyn federal court before Judge Nina R. Morrison and now faces up to five years in prison when sentenced.
The illegal police station, located on an entire floor of a building in Manhattan’s Chinatown, was set up in early 2022 under the direction of China’s Ministry of Public Security (MPS). U.S. prosecutors said the station provided basic services, like renewing Chinese driver’s licenses, but also worked to harass and track dissidents living in the United States.
Chen admitted to acting on behalf of the Chinese government without notifying U.S. authorities, as required by law. He also confessed to deleting communications with an MPS official to hide his activities after learning about the FBI investigation.
The FBI raided the police station in October 2022, seizing Chen’s phone and uncovering the deleted communications. FBI Assistant Director James Dennehy said the station was not about public safety but aimed to extend China’s “repressive” control into the U.S., violating American sovereignty.
Chen’s co-defendant, Lu Jianwang, has pleaded not guilty and is awaiting trial. Prosecutors allege the two men also helped Chinese officials locate a pro-democracy activist in California.
The case is part of a broader U.S. crackdown on China’s covert influence operations, which include harassing and pressuring Chinese dissidents abroad. The Manhattan station was closed in late 2022 following the FBI investigation.
Chen’s sentencing is expected next year.
