UNITED STATES—Over 40 Chinese National Police Officers have been charged for targeting U.S. residents in a transnational repression scheme. The Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) shared the details in a press release from Monday, April 17.

Two criminal complaints that were filed by the U.S. Attorney’s office for the Eastern District of New York, were unsealed on April 17 in federal court in Brooklyn, New York.

Forty-four defendants were charged with various crimes at the hands of the national police of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), and the Ministry of Public Security (MPS) who harassed Chinese nationals who resided in the New York metropolitan area, and other parts of the U.S.

The defendants include 40 MPS officers and two officials of the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), who allegedly perpetrated the transnational repression scheme targeting those U.S. residents whose political views did not agree with those of the PRC government, including those who advocated for democracy for the People’s Republic of China.

The defendants in the two schemes were able to maintain fake social media accounts.
According to the press release, all of those charged are from the PRC or in other areas in Asia and are still at large.

The Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s National Security Division made the following remarks:

“Those cases demonstrate the lengths the PRC government will go to silence and harass U.S. persons who exercise their fundamental rights to speak out against PRC oppression, including by unlawfully exploiting a U.S.-based technology company. These actions violate our laws and are an affront to our democratic values and basic human rights.”

Reports indicate that these cases have been under investigation since 2018 and were first announced with the name of one of the ring leaders in December 2020. 

“In December 2020, the Department first announced charges against Julien Jin in connection with his efforts to disrupt a series of meetings on the Company-1 plato=form held in May and June of 2020 commemorating the 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre. Jin served as Company -1’s primary liaison with PRC government law enforcement and intelligence services. In that capacity, he regularly responded to requests from the PRC government to terminate meetings and block users on company-1’s video communications platform,” as stated in the press release.

400,000 Chinese Nationals Infiltrated U.S. 2021-2023

The FBI Washington Field Office began to investigate during the Trump Administration. They were announced just prior to Joe Biden becoming President of the United States. It is not clear why the Biden Administration did not prosecute sooner.

Reports indicate the threat level in the U.S. is now close to red, which is the most severe.
The FBI created a website for victims to report efforts by foreign governments to stalk, intimidate, and assault people in the United States. Additional details can be found on the FBI website. 

Details on the cases and additional speaking points can be found in the full text of the press release on the Department of Justice webpage, Office of Public Affairs.