Chinese nationals arrested for NYC police station, monitoring dissidents

SHANNON LONGWORTH: AUTHORITIES ARRESTED TWO CHINESE NATIONALS FOR RUNNING A SECRET, ILLEGAL POLICE STATION IN NEW YORK CITY.

NOW, CHINA’S CALLING THE ACCUSATIONS “GROUNDLESS,” AND SAYS THE OPERATION WAS SIMPLY A SERVICE CENTER. BUT, ALLEGEDLY, THE TWO MEN WORKING THERE DID MORE THAN JUST HELP PEOPLE RENEW THEIR LICENSES…THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE SAYS THE MEN HELPED “MONITOR AND INTIMIDATE” CHINESE DISSIDENTS IN THE US.

PROSECUTORS SAY THE STATION WAS LOCATED IN A CHINATOWN OFFICE BUILDING. AND THAT THE OFFICERS STAFFING THE STATION WERE REPORTEDLY FROM CHINA’S MINISTRY OF PUBLIC SECURITY, AND THEY WERE OPERATING IN THE U.S. WITHOUT THE KNOWLEDGE OR CONSENT OF AMERICAN AUTHORITIES.

BREON PEACE: “THE TWO DEFENDANTS WHOSE ARRESTS WE’RE ANNOUNCING TODAY DESTROYED EVIDENCE OF THEIR COMMUNICATIONS WITH THE CHINESE NATIONAL POLICE WHEN THEY LEARNED OF THE FBI’S INVESTIGATION. THESE TWO DEFENDANTS KNEW THEY HAD SOMETHING TO HIDE AND THEY OBSTRUCTED JUSTICE IN AN ATTEMPT TO PREVENT THE FBI FROM LEARNING THE FULL EXTENT OF WHAT THEY WERE UP TO.”

LONGWORTH: LU JIANWANG AND CHEN JINPING AREN’T THE ONLY ONES RECENTLY ACCUSED OF HARASSING DISSIDENTS ABROAD.

ON MONDAY, THE DOJ UNSEALED TWO OTHER CRIMINAL COMPLAINTS, WHICH CLAIM *44* CHINESE NATIONALS WERE TARGETING CRITICS OF THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA. 34 OF THEM WERE ALLEGEDLY INVOLVED IN A DATA-MINING PROJECT TO COLLECT NEGATIVE COMMENTS ABOUT THE GOVERNMENT ON TWITTER.

THIS STORY’S RAISED CONCERNS ABOUT THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT’S ACTIVITIES ON AMERICAN SOIL AND WHETHER THEY’RE VIOLATING U.S. LAWS. PARTICULARLY, FOLLOWING THE SPY BALLOON’S JOURNEY ACROSS THE US EARLIER THIS YEAR.