Brooklyn Jury Convicts Man Accused of Running Secret Chinese Police Station in Manhattan

A federal jury convicted Lu Jianwang for helping operate an alleged secret Chinese police station in Manhattan tied to China’s overseas surveillance and repression efforts.

Julia Thompson|Technology Reporter

May. 14, 2026

A federal jury in Brooklyn convicted Lu Jianwang, a New York resident accused of helping operate a secret Chinese police outpost in Manhattan’s Chinatown neighborhood on behalf of the Chinese government. Prosecutors said the office functioned as part of a wider transnational repression campaign tied to China’s Ministry of Public Security. The verdict followed a closely watched federal trial focused on allegations that Lu acted as an unregistered foreign agent while helping establish and operate the covert station in Lower Manhattan. Prosecutors argued that the office was part of a global network of unofficial Chinese police stations created to monitor and intimidate dissidents living overseas. According to court testimony, Lu allegedly worked alongside Chen Jinping, who previously pleaded guilty in the case. Federal prosecutors said the two men opened the Manhattan office in 2022 after Lu attended an event in China’s Fujian province where Chinese authorities announced plans for overseas “service stations” around the world. The office operated from a modest building in Chinatown and allegedly assisted Chinese officials in identifying and pressuring critics of Beijing living in the United States. Prosecutors said the operation attempted to evade U.S. laws requiring disclosure of work performed on behalf of foreign governments. Lu’s defense team argued that the Chinatown office mainly functioned as a community center helping Chinese immigrants with administrative matters such as renewing driver’s licenses and handling paperwork. Defense lawyers denied the office conducted espionage or intimidation activities. Still, jurors ultimately found Lu guilty of acting as an illegal foreign agent and obstruction-related charges connected to deleting communications with Chinese officials after the FBI investigation became public. Federal prosecutors presented the Manhattan office as part of a broader international system of covert Chinese “police stations” allegedly used to extend Beijing’s influence beyond its borders. Authorities argued that the operation reflected China’s expanding efforts to monitor critics, dissidents, and expatriates overseas. The Justice Department said China’s Ministry of Public Security coordinated many of these activities through unofficial offices hidden inside community organizations and cultural associations. Prosecutors claimed the Manhattan office operated without notifying the U.S. government, violating laws governing foreign agents. Investigators said the office in Chinatown was linked to broader campaigns targeting pro-democracy activists, dissidents, Falun Gong practitioners, and critics of the Chinese Communist Party living abroad. Prosecutors described the operation as part of China’s wider transnational repression strategy. Court documents stated that Chinese officials allegedly instructed Lu and his associates to help locate individuals wanted by Beijing and encourage some targets to return to China. Prosecutors argued the office blurred the line between administrative assistance and covert government operations. The trial also highlighted growing concern inside the United States over foreign influence and surveillance operations connected to China. Federal authorities have increasingly warned that Beijing has attempted to pressure dissidents and silence critics internationally through intimidation campaigns and undeclared agents. The FBI raided the Manhattan office in 2022 after receiving intelligence about the operation. Prosecutors said Lu and others deleted communications with Chinese officials shortly afterward in an attempt to obstruct the investigation. The Chinese government has repeatedly denied operating illegal police stations overseas and accused Western governments of politicizing ordinary community-service activities. During the trial, Lu Jianwang’s attorneys argued that federal prosecutors exaggerated the nature of the Chinatown office and unfairly portrayed ordinary immigrant community services as espionage.

Defense lawyers insisted the office primarily helped Chinese immigrants navigate bureaucratic issues and maintain contact with hometown authorities in China. The defense maintained there was no evidence Lu engaged in intelligence gathering, spying, or harassment activities against dissidents. Lawyers described Lu as a respected figure in the community who had lived in the United States for decades and supported local Chinese-American organizations. Defense lawyers also argued many immigrants use overseas service offices tied to their hometowns in China for practical purposes like renewing identification documents or getting government records. They claimed prosecutors incorrectly interpreted those activities as covert policing operations. At trial, attorneys questioned whether the office truly functioned as a “secret police station” in the traditional sense. They argued prosecutors relied heavily on political narratives about China rather than direct evidence of illegal law-enforcement actions occurring inside the Manhattan office. Still, prosecutors pointed to encrypted communications, deleted messages, and Lu’s alleged coordination with Chinese officials as evidence the operation intentionally concealed its relationship with Beijing. Federal authorities argued the office was specifically designed to avoid public scrutiny and legal registration requirements. The jury ultimately sided with prosecutors after several days of deliberation. Lu now faces potential prison time following the conviction, while sentencing is expected later this year. The case has become one of the highest-profile U.S. prosecutions tied to allegations of Chinese transnational repression and undeclared foreign-agent activity on American soil. The Manhattan case is unfolding amid wider international concerns over allegations that China has escalated its surveillance and intimidation operations against dissidents abroad. Human-rights groups, intelligence agencies, and Western governments have increasingly accused Beijing of conducting transnational repression campaigns in multiple countries. According to federal prosecutors and international watchdog groups, Chinese authorities have allegedly used unofficial overseas “service stations” to pressure critics, monitor activists, and encourage wanted individuals to return to China. Similar allegations have surfaced in Europe, Canada, and Australia in recent years. The Justice Department has significantly expanded investigations into foreign influence operations connected to China. In addition to the Manhattan case, federal prosecutors have brought charges in several other cases involving alleged Chinese agents accused of harassment, spying, bribery, and surveillance activities targeting U.S.-based dissidents. The issue has become increasingly politically sensitive amid deteriorating U.S.-China relations. American officials have repeatedly warned that China’s government is attempting to extend its political influence globally while suppressing criticism abroad. China’s government has denied accusations of operating illegal overseas police stations and said the offices simply provide administrative assistance for Chinese citizens living abroad. Chinese officials accused the United States and Western countries of spreading misinformation and fueling anti-China sentiment. Civil-liberties advocates have also cautioned against unfairly targeting Chinese-American communities while investigating foreign-government activities. Some organizations warned that national-security investigations involving China can sometimes contribute to racial profiling or suspicion directed at immigrant communities. Nevertheless, federal officials described the Manhattan case as a significant example of foreign governments allegedly attempting to conduct covert law-enforcement and intimidation operations inside the United States without authorization.

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