Justice Department attorneys revealed that a Chinese national named Chen Jinping illegally operated an “undeclared overseas police station” of the Chinese government in New York.

The agency announced last month that Chen pleaded guilty to charges relating to working with fellow defendant Lu Jianwang in order to establish “the first known overseas police station in the United States” on behalf of the Chinese Ministry of Public Security. The entity “occupied an entire floor in an office building” in the Chinatown portion of lower Manhattan in New York City.

“A priority of my office has been to counteract the malign activities of foreign governments that violate our nation’s sovereignty by targeting local diaspora communities,” United States Attorney Breon Peace for the Eastern District of New York said in a statement about the guilty plea.

Chen pleaded guilty to acting as an illegal agent of China through his operation of the police station, an admission that came as part of a plea agreement in which prosecutors dismissed an obstruction of justice charge against him. The defendant had admitted to deleting messages with a Chinese official after learning of an FBI investigation into the police station.

“Today's acknowledgment of guilt is a stark reminder of the insidious efforts taken by the PRC government to threaten, harass, and intimidate those who speak against their Communist Party,” FBI Executive Assistant Director Robert Wells commented in a statement. “The FBI remains committed to preserving the rights and freedoms of all people in our country.”

Chinese government agencies and proxies have indeed harassed, threatened, or surveilled critics of the Chinese Communist Party residing in the United States and other countries.

In some cases, Chinese government officials have pressured individuals residing in the United States to leave for China, while others have monitored Chinese student groups at universities.