NYPD policeman spied on Tibetan natives for China

A New York police officer who also serves in the US Army Reserve was arrested Monday on federal charges which accused him of spying on fellow Tibetans while acting as an illegal agent for China .

The 33-year-old cop Baimadajie Angwang, born in China’s Tibet Autonomous Region, reportedly reported to officials at the Chinese consulate in New York about the activities of other Tibetans in the New York area.

Prosecutors on Monday asked a judge to detain Angwang without bail because he “presents a serious risk of absconding” to avoid criminal charges, which carry a possible maximum prison term of 55 years.

Authorities noted in a criminal complaint that Angwang, who currently works for the New York Police Department’s Community Affairs unit in the 111th Queens Borough, “initially traveled to the United States on a visa from the United States. ‘cultural exchange”.

But after exceeding the term of a second visa, he “finally applied for asylum in the United States on the grounds that he was allegedly arrested and tortured in the country. [People’s Republic of China] partly because of this Tibetan ethnicity ”, indicates the complaint.

The US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York, in a detention note filed Monday, said that despite Angwang’s claims, an investigation has revealed that “Angwang has returned to the PRC numerous times since his request asylum has been granted “.

“These are not the actions of an individual who fears torture or persecution at the hands of the PRC, thus showing that his US citizenship was obtained under false pretenses,” the memo reads.

The criminal complaint stated that from 2014, Angwan had a relationship with a Chinese official at the consulate, then in 2018, developed a relationship with a second official there, who was his manager and whom he called ” boss”.

The second official was reportedly assigned to a department tasked with neutralizing potential sources of opposition to the PRC

Tibet, occupied by China in 1951, is seen as a threat to the stability of the communist regime due to calls for independence in the region, especially by Tibetans at home and abroad who consider the Dalai Lama self-exiled, a Buddhist leader, their spiritual. guide.

The complaint states that Angwang has texted or called consulate officials more than 100 times since 2014. The complaint also contains transcripts of some of those calls, in which Angwang offers his manager to attend Tibetan events. in Queens, and asked if this official “wanted to attend. NYPD events” to uplift our country’s soft power. “

Angwang, who lives in Nassau County, Long Island, is due to appear in virtual federal court on Monday afternoon.

According to court documents, Angwang “currently holds the rank of Staff Sergeant” in the Army Reserve “and is stationed at Fort Dix, New Jersey in an Airborne Civil Affairs Battalion.”

The criminal complaint states that Angwang, “while acting under the direction and control of PRC officials, among other things … reported on the activities of ethnic Tibetans, and others, in the metropolitan area of New York at the “Chinese Consulate.” .

He also reportedly “identified and assessed potential sources of ethnic Tibetan intelligence in the New York metro area and beyond,” according to the complaint.

And Angwang “used his official position in the NYPD to allow consulate officials access to senior NYPD officials through invitations to official NYPD events,” the complaint states.

Angwang is accused of acting as an agent of a foreign government without prior notification to the United States Attorney General, of wire fraud, misrepresentation and obstruction of formal process.

Angwang works as a Civil Affairs Specialist for the Army Reserve. As part of his work there, he holds a “Secret” level security clearance.

Authorities said Angwang’s father is a retired member of the Chinese military and a member of the country’s Communist Party, while his mother is both a member of the Communist Party and a retired Chinese government official. His parents live in China, as does his brother, who is a reservist in the People’s Liberation Army.

According to the complaint, Angwang transferred a total of $ 150,000 in 2016 to accounts in China controlled by his brother and another person.

“Angwang also received several substantial wire transfers from the PRC,” the complaint says.

“National and local authorities must be aware that they are not immune to the threat of Chinese espionage,” said John Demers, the US assistant attorney general for national security, in a prepared statement.

“According to the allegations, the Chinese government recruited and directed a US citizen and member of our country’s largest law enforcement department to continue its intelligence gathering and crackdown on Chinese overseas.”

New York City Police Commissioner Dermot Shea said in a statement: “As alleged in this federal complaint, Baimadajie Angwang has violated every oath he has taken in this country.”

“One in the United States, another in the United States military, and a third in this police department,” Shea said. “From the earliest stages of this investigation, the NYPD’s intelligence and internal affairs offices worked closely with the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division to ensure that this individual would be brought to justice.”

The Chinese Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The military made no immediate comment.

The New York Police Benevolent Association, the union that represents patrol officers like Angwang, posted a photo on Facebook last November of a delegates meeting in which Angwang presented the American flag.

The post indicated that Angwang, while serving with the US military, had toured Iraq and two tours in Afghanistan. The post was abolished by the PBA after Angwang’s arrest became public.

A spokesperson for the PBA said the union was not representing Angwang in the criminal case.