Dozens of community members rallied on Wednesday in support of a Chinese community leader who’s on trial for allegedly operating a secret police station for China in Manhattan’s Chinatown.
The supporters called for a fair trial for Jianwang Lu, describing him as a good person who only sought to help others during the pandemic. They also contended that Lu was later targeted by authorities who they say were motivated by racial profiling.
At the center of the case is Lu, the former president of the America Changle Association, a Chinese community organization in Chinatown. Lu was arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in 2023 alongside another association leader, Jinping Chen. Federal prosecutors allege the two conspired as agents of the People’s Republic of China to establish a so-called “secret police station” in Manhattan’s Chinatown and later destroyed evidence to obstruct the investigation.
Ahead of the trial, more than 40 members of the Chinese community — many from Lu’s hometown, Changle, Fujian Province — gathered at a park across from the federal courthouse in Brooklyn to show support for Lu. Holding American flags and banners reading “We Love America” and “No Bias, No Profiling,” supporters said Lu was wrongly accused and was simply fulfilling his role as a community leader.
Lu, 64, who briefly appeared at the park with his defense team before court proceedings began, kept some distance from the crowd. As he walked toward the courthouse, he stopped to shake hands with supporters, smiling and exchanging a few words.
The case stems in part from a 2022 report by a Spain-based non-governmental organization that alleged Chinese authorities were operating dozens of overseas “police service stations” worldwide, including in the United States. That same year, the FBI raided the America Changle Association’s office at 107 East Broadway in Chinatown. Prosecutors say Lu and Chen helped establish one such outpost in New York on behalf of the Chinese government, as part of a broader effort by Beijing to monitor and target dissidents abroad.
Lu’s is among the most recent cases brought by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York, which has led investigations involving several Chinese community members and liaisons to New York City and state officials over alleged ties to the Chinese government.
In 2024, Chen pleaded guilty to acting as an unregistered agent of the Chinese government. Lu has pleaded not guilty to all charges, including conspiracy to act as an agent of a foreign government, obstruction of justice and acting as an unauthorized agent of China.
During opening statements on Wednesday, prosecutors argued that Lu, a U.S. citizen, operated an “illegal overseas police station at the heart of New York City” under the direction of the Chinese government without notifying U.S. authorities, in violation of federal law requiring certain agents acting on behalf of foreign principals to publicly disclose their relationships, activities, and related financial transactions on a regular basis. Prosecutors also alleged that Lu deleted WeChat messages after the FBI raid and collected information on political dissidents living in the United States upon the request of the Chinese government officials.
Lu’s attorney, John Carman, pushed back, arguing that the case centers on “the failure to file a form — a form that almost no one has ever heard of.” He framed the prosecution’s case of “No good deed goes unpunished” and “guilt by association,” and said Lu’s actions were rooted in community service.
Carman described the America Changle Association as a hometown group that provides social support and mutual aid to immigrants from Changle. During the pandemic, he said, the association helped members navigate travel restrictions — particularly as China was largely inaccessible — by arranging remote services, including Zoom sessions with police stations in China to renew their Chinese driver’s licenses.
“No one controls him,” Carman said. “He is an agent of the local people living in New York City.”
During the trial, prosecutors called Julian Ku, a law professor at Hofstra University, to provide expert testimony. Ku said the Chinese government, through the United Front Work Department, an organ of the Chinese Communist Party, engages with existing community organizations to coordinate its overseas influence and interference work. He described the alleged overseas police service stations as part of that broader effort, adding that the America Changle Association provided a physical space that facilitated communication between Chinese immigrants and police in China.
Carman argued that the alleged overseas police service station at the America Changle Association functioned as an administrative services hub, not a law enforcement outpost, emphasizing that no uniformed Chinese police officers were stationed there. He added that Chinese law enforcement officials do not operate abroad in an official capacity.
Under cross-examination, Julian Ku acknowledged that his analysis of overseas police stations relied primarily on a report published by a Spain-based nonprofit organization and conceded that he didn’t visit the overseas police station in Chinatown in person.
Outside the courthouse, supporters and members of the America Changle Association echoed the defense’s portrayal of the group’s role in the community. Jianshun Lu, the association’s current president and younger brother of defendant Jianwang Lu, said that between February and September 2022, when his brother led the organization, it helped 124 Chinese immigrants renew their Chinese driver’s licenses.
In a previous interview with Documented, Jianshun Lu said his brother immigrated to the United States in the 1980s and started out working in the restaurant industry, gradually building a life through years of hard work.
Jianshun Lu rejected allegations that the association operated a secret police station in Chinatown. “This was not a secret police station. Everything we did was public,” he said in Mandarin. “We didn’t do anything improper. We notified the media and shared information in WeChat groups.” He added that many community members called after seeing the announcements to inquire about the services.
“We are part of this country and should not be treated differently because we are Chinese.”
—C. Wu, community member and Jianwang Lu supporter
H. He, a Lu supporter who requested that Documented only use a partial name for privacy concerns, said he has known Lu for over a decade. He described Lu as “upright” and dedicated to serving fellow immigrants. “He lives in the U.S., has a family here, and has deep feelings for this country. It’s impossible for him to do anything that would harm the United States,” he said in Mandarin. He added that during the pandemic, Chinese immigrants faced both anti-Asian hate, including rhetoric such as “China virus,” and practical barriers due to strict travel restrictions. “Lu was simply trying to make things easier for people, but instead he has been treated unfairly and discriminated against. He has been under tremendous pressure in the past years, and we are here to support him,” said He.
Another supporter, AG Zheng, who requested to only use a partial name for privacy concerns, said he woke up at 6:30 a.m. and traveled from Flushing, Queens to Brooklyn to attend the rally. “We trust Lu,” Zheng said in Mandarin. “As a community leader, he has a responsibility to help people. He was just helping residents temporarily extend their driver’s licenses.”
Zheng added that renewing a driver’s license in China can be burdensome if it expires, often requiring a full process that includes a new road test. “That’s difficult for many Chinese immigrants, because their trips back to China are usually limited in time,” he said.
A participant at the rally who asked to be identified as C. Wu, for privacy concerns, said the case has drawn widespread attention within the Chinese community and expressed concern about its broader impact. “Isn’t America our home as well?” Wu asked in Mandarin. “We are part of this country and should not be treated differently because we are Chinese. What’s happening to him — there’s no guarantee it won’t happen to us. We hope to see fairness and understanding from prosecutors.”
In court, prosecutors raised concerns that supporters gathering outside the courthouse with signs could influence jurors and interfere with the proceedings. Carman said he would ensure that Lu and his legal team keep their distance from demonstrators.
The trial is expected to continue in the coming weeks.
