Everyone should feel safe in their own neighborhood. But a secret office in Chinatown was used to make sure that even thousands of miles from home, some people were still being watched.

WHAT HAPPENED

Lu Jianwang helped run a hidden office above a ramen shop in Manhattan. He wasn't working for the U.S. government, but for the Chinese police.

The station opened in early 2022. Prosecutors say Lu used the space to find and target people who spoke out against the Chinese government.

When the FBI started asking questions, Lu and his partner deleted their text messages with Chinese officials. A jury has now found him guilty of working as an illegal agent and hiding evidence.

What the evidence shows

• 1 secret office sat on the floor above a noodle shop in Chinatown.
• 53 countries are reported to have similar stations.
• 30 years is the most time Lu could spend in prison.
• 2 men were caught deleting messages to hide their work.
• 0 notice was given to the U.S. government about the station.

THE BIGGER QUESTION

We usually think of spying as something that happens in movies or high-tech labs. But if a foreign government can set up a police station over a lunch spot, how much of our "local" life is actually being monitored by other countries?

THE OTHER SIDE

China says these aren't police stations. They call them "service stations" that help their citizens with simple things like renewing a driver's license. While that sounds helpful, it doesn't explain why the men running the office felt they had to destroy their records when the FBI showed up.

WHAT HAPPENS NOW

This case makes it clear that the U.S. will not allow other countries to set up their own law enforcement on American soil. It may make people who have been harassed feel safer, but it also shows how far some governments will go to keep tabs on their critics.

WHAT WE STILL DON'T KNOW

Are there more of these offices hidden in other American cities?

• How many people were tracked or threatened by this specific station?
• Will this conviction stop other countries from trying the same thing?

SOURCE NOTE

Information for this report comes from New York federal court records and FBI statements. All charges are allegations — Lu Jianwang is presumed innocent until proven guilty.