Former Arcadia Mayor Pleads Guilty to Acting as Illegal Chinese Agent Following Police Station Investigation
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Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn said Lu Jianwang, 64, should have alerted the U.S. Attorney General that he was a Chinese agent when he helped open the so-called police station in 2022. They also said he helped China’s government locate a pro-democracy activist living in California.
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Washington ExaminerLu “Harry” Jianwang, 64, was convicted of acting as an illegal foreign agent and obstructing justice by deleting WeChat messages that prosecutors said included orders from Beijing to harass and intimidate pro-democracy dissidents. Prosecutors said he set up an outpost in Manhattan’s Chinatown neighborhood in 2022, after attending an event in Fujian province where China’s Ministry of Public Security announced it was opening 30 secret police stations around the world. A U.S. citizen for decades, Lu now awaits sentencing and faces up to 30 years in prison.
The Guardian USFederal prosecutors in Brooklyn said Lu Jianwang, 64, should have alerted the US attorney general that he was a Chinese agent when he helped open the so-called police station in 2022. They also said he helped China’s government locate a pro-democracy activist living in California.
Associated PressCarman said federal prosecutors passed off a mundane paperwork case as an international spy thriller. The foreign agent conviction relates to Lu’s failure to inform the U.S. government about his work on behalf of China, which his defense team contends was limited only to helping members of the Chinese diaspora renew their Chinese driver’s licenses.
Washington TimesNEW YORK — A man accused of running a secret Chinese spy outpost in New York City was convicted Wednesday of acting as an illegal foreign agent and destroying text messages from a Chinese government handler.
HuffPostAccording to federal prosecutors, Lu and a co-defendant, Chen Jinping, established the outpost in Manhattan’s Chinatown neighborhood in 2022 after Lu attended a ceremony in his native Fujian province where China’s Ministry of Public Security announced it was opening 30 such secret police stations around the world.
New York PostLu faces up to five years in prison after a Brooklyn federal jury convicted him of acting as an unregistered foreign agent of Beijing and obstructing justice by deleting some of his messages with Chinese officials when approached by the feds.
ReutersNew York man found guilty in Chinese 'secret police station' case - Reuters New York man found guilty in Chinese 'secret police station' case Reuters
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Wang, who has since resigned as mayor of Arcadia, agreed to plead guilty to the felony offense of acting as an illegal agent of the People’s Republic of China, the Justice Department announced this week. She now faces up to 10 years in federal prison along with a potential $250,000 fine, though any sentence would be determined by a federal judge.
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The Guardian USThe verdict comes two days after the mayor of Arcadia, California, agreed to plead guilty to charges of acting as an illegal agent of China. Eileen Wang, who resigned her position as the plea deal was announced, had coordinated with China to post pro-China propaganda to a website billed as a news source for the area’s Chinese American community. Reuters contributed reporting
NPR NewsEileen Wang, now the former mayor of the City of Arcadia, agreed to plead guilty to the felony charge accusing her of promoting the interests of the People's Republic of China (PRC) under the direction of Chinese officials, according to court filings. The 58-year-old abruptly resigned from her position on Monday, hours after the plea agreement was made public by the Department of Justice. She faces a sentence of up to 10 years in prison.
New York PostWang now faces up to 10 years in prison for one count of acting in the US as an illegal agent, according to a federal plea agreement unsealed Monday.
Associated PressHe faces up to 10 years in prison for acting as an illegal foreign agent and up to 20 years in prison for obstruction of justice.
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China’s communist government uses the outposts to monitor people it views as enemies of its interests. During the trial, jurors were shown a large banner from the Chinatown location that said: “Fuzhou Police Overseas Service Station, New York USA.”
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Washington TimesChina’s communist government uses the outposts to monitor people it views as enemies of its interests. During the trial, jurors were shown a large banner from the Chinatown location that said: “Fuzhou Police Overseas Service Station, New York USA.”
Associated PressDuring the trial, jurors were shown a large banner from the Chinatown location that said: “Fuzhou Police Overseas Service Station, New York USA.” They also heard testimony from Xu Jie, a Chinese dissident, activist and YouTuber living in California who prosecutors said was targeted by Lu’s outpost.
New York PostJurors saw evidence of Officer Rongyan instructing Lu on how to hang the blue “police station” banner, which was displayed above a conference table in the site’s drab office. Lu also had more than 50 contacts in his phone for officials in Chinese political and security officials, according to trial testimony.
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CHINA CALLS CHARGES FABRICATED China’s government has called the charges in the case “fabricated” and part of an effort to smear the country’s image. Beijing has said there are centers outside China run by local volunteers, not Chinese police officers, that aim to help Chinese citizens renew documents and offer other services.
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The Guardian USChina’s government has called the charges in the case “fabricated” and part of an effort to smear the country’s image. Beijing has said there are centers outside China run by local volunteers, not Chinese police officers, that aim to help Chinese citizens renew documents and offer other services.
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The arrests followed a 2022 investigation published by Spain-based advocacy group Safeguard Defenders that reported China had set up overseas “service stations,” including in New York, that illegally worked with Chinese police to pressure fugitives to return to China.
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The Guardian USThe arrests followed a 2022 investigation published by Spain-based advocacy group Safeguard Defenders that reported China had set up overseas “service stations”, including in New York, that illegally worked with Chinese police to pressure fugitives to return to China.
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Outrage is snowballing after it was uncovered that a California mayor who just stepped down after admitting to acting as a Chinese agent appears to have donated to Democrats, including a sitting congresswoman.
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New York PostHis company also donated to the campaign of a California mayor who has since admitted to being a Chinese agent, according to campaign finance records.
4 details only one outlet reported
Independent claims that didn't surface elsewhere in our corpus. Treat as supplementary — not corroborated across outlets.
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01 Washington Examiner Prosecutors described the matter as the first criminal case of its kind. A jury in Brooklyn federal court convicted Lu after a weeklong trial.
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02 NPR News ARCADIA, Calif. — In China, President Trump is negotiating with Chinese President Xi Jinping this week, in a remarkably friendly visit despite friction between the two nations on trade, sanctions, and China's role in the Iran war.
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03 New York Post Trial evidence instead largely showed that the “station” — where the FBI discovered a handful of computer monitors, the conference table and banner, and a ping-pong table covered in a red tablecloth — helped Fujian natives renew their Chinese driver’s licenses remotely.
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04 Fox News In response, Bernadette Breslin, a spokesperson for the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), ripped into the Democrats, calling the donations evidence of "malign Chinese influence operating within their own ranks."
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