Two people were arrested in New York on Monday on charges of setting up a “police station” in China.

Through a statement, the US Justice Department explained that Harry Lu Jianwang, 61, and Chen Jinping, 59, had been arrested for open a branch of that country’s Ministry of Public Security.

“Lu and Chen are charged with conspiracy to act as agents of the PRC government and obstructing justice by destroying evidence of their communications with an MPS official,” it said.

The station closed in the fall of 2022 after learning of an FBI investigation occupying an office building in Manhattan’s Chinatown. Both detainees acted under the direction of an officer and helped open the office, which was not reported to the government.

“The People’s Republic of China, through its repressive security apparatus, has established a covert physical presence in New York City to monitor and intimidate dissidents and critics of its government,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s Homeland. Department of Security.

If convicted, they face up to five years in prison for acting as agents of China, but they could also be charged with obstruction of justice, which would be 20 years.

Lu and Chen were charged with acting as unregistered agents of a foreign government and destroying evidence of their communications with Chinese government officials.

There were also 34 members of the Ministry of Public Security who reported the intimidation of dissidents abroad.

All 34 were part of the Task Force for Special Project MPS 12, which the Justice Department described as a team set up to go after Chinese dissidents.

The US claims the task force has created thousands False profiles on social media such as Twitter to “target Chinese dissidents through intimidation and threats”.

“This task force is not a normal police force,” Peace said at a news conference.