Federal prosecutors have accused scores of others of trying to intimidate and silence dissidents inside the United States, with some even allegedly running a "undeclared police station" in New York City. The FBI has detained two alleged Chinese agents.

According to reports, Chen Jinping and Lu Jianwang ran the Chinatown police station in New York City. Both individuals, who are citizens of the US, are accused of plotting to represent the Chinese government and obstructing justice. According to John Marzulli, a spokesman for the US Attorney in the Eastern District of New York, the police station has been closed ever since a search warrant was carried out there in the fall of last year.

Lu was released on a $250,000 bond, while Chen was given a $400,000 bond, when the two men showed up in court on Monday. They are not allowed to speak with conspirators or move within half a mile of the Chinese consulate. Neither party has made a plea.

A public defender was assigned to represent Chen, while Lu retained legal representation but was represented in court by a public defender. At the hearing, none of the public defenders offered a statement.

The Justice Department also announced charges against 34 members of the People's Republic of China national police for allegedly harassing Chinese citizens living in the US who were critical of the Chinese leadership.

According to the Justice Department, all 34 are thought to be living in China and are still at large. The officers were a part of the Chinese government's "912 Special Project Working Group" campaign, which aimed to change how the world saw the PRC.

The Justice Department claimed that the operatives attacked their "perceived adversaries," which included the United States and Chinese pro-democracy activists around the world, and posted negative comments about the PRC on social media. According to the Justice Department, the unauthorized police operation is the "first known overseas police station in the United States" established on behalf of the Chinese Ministry of Public Security, or MPS.

The MPS allegedly instructed the agents to set up and maintain accounts that appeared to be managed by Americans. Additionally, they published articles and videos that specifically threatened Chinese activists for democracy living in the US. Additionally, the agents threatened individuals to coerce them from forgoing US-based pro-democracy demonstrations. In order to keep tabs on and intimidate critics of its government and dissidents, the PRC maintained a covert physical presence in New York City, according to a statement by Assistant Attorney General Matthew Olsen. "The PRC's activities significantly exceed what is considered appropriate nation-state behavior. We firmly resolve to protect everyone's right to freedom in our nation against the menace of totalitarian repression.

According to federal authorities, a videoconferencing firm executive planned to obstruct a gathering remembering the Tiananmen Square Massacre on the platform at the behest of the Chinese government. The Justice Department had earlier filed charges against the executive, Xinjiang "Julien" Jin, over the alleged scheme. Nine additional people are now accused in the second lawsuit, including six members of the Ministry of Public Security and two representatives of the Chinese Cyberspace Administration. The Justice Department claims that Jin and his co-defendants regularly attempted to obstruct video calls set up by a Chinese dissident in New York City at the Chinese government's instruction. Jin and his co-defendants are accused of cooperating with the Chinese government in 2019 to obstruct narratives that sought to remember the Tiananmen Square Massacre.

Early in 2022, a secret police station was established to locate, harass, and threaten Chinese dissidents in the United States. Unidentified California resident and "PRC dissident and pro-democracy advocate" was one of the victims. They claimed to have received threatening phone calls and social media messages from individuals they suspected to be connected to the Chinese government. According to Lu, he opened the agency to assist Chinese nationals residing in the US with updating their official paperwork from their home country. Chen first denied getting in touch with the Chinese government directly but afterwards changed his mind. An agent cautioned him not to remove anything on his phone during a seven-minute restroom break, and chat logs with MPS representatives had been deleted. Later on, both Lu and Chen admitted to erasing communications with their MPS liaison.