Published 11:43 IST, September 22nd 2020
New York City police officer accused of being an 'illegal agent' for China
A New York City police officer has been charged with acting as an ‘illegal agent’ for China, according to a criminal complaint filed in Brooklyn federal court.
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A New York City police officer has been charged with acting as an ‘illegal agent’ of the People’s Republic of China. According to a criminal complaint filed in Brooklyn federal court, Tibet-born Baimadajie Angwang has been accused of reporting on the activities of Chinese citizens in the New York area and assessing potential sources of intelligence in the Tibetan community. The 33-year-old, who was working for the police department’s community affairs unit, was arrested on September 21.
Angwang, who is also employed by the US Army Reserve, will face a maximum sentence of 55 years in prison if he is convicted. He is accused of being in contact with two officials at the Chinese consulate. It was noted that since 2014, he worked as an agent for China. However, there was no allegation that Angwang compromised national security or NYPD operations. Still, the 33-year-old was considered the definition of an insider threat, William Sweeney, the head of the FBI’s New York office.
According to the complaint document, Angwang allegedly provided the consulate with access to senior NYPD officials through invitations to official events. He told his Chinese official handler that he wanted to be promoted within the NYPD so that he could assist China and bring the country ‘glory’. The 33-year-old is accused of committing wire fraud, making false statements and obstructing an official preceding.
‘Biggest counterintelligence threat’
Alan E. Kohler, Jr., Assistant Director of the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division, said, “This case serves as yet another reminder that China represents the biggest counterintelligence threat to the United States and that the FBI and our partners will be aggressive in investigating and stopping such activities within our nation”.
The NYPD Commissioner Dermot F Shea said that as alleged in the federal complaint, Angwang violated every oath he took in the country. “One to the US, another to the US Army and a third to the Police Department’. Angwang’s job as a spy for PRC was to locate potential intelligence sources and identify potential threats to the PRC in the New York metropolitan area. According to the papers, the evidence includes intercepted communications between Angwang and a consulate official someone Angwang called ‘big brother’ and ‘boss’ about to identify dissenters in the independence movement.
The 33-year-old has worked at an NYPD precinct in Queens as a community liaison. Before becoming a citizen, Angwang also sought asylum by claiming he had been arrested and tortured in China partly because of his Tibetan ethnicity. As per the document, his father is a retired member of China’s army and a member of the Communist Party of China. His mother is also a member of CCP and a former government official.
11:43 IST, September 22nd 2020