NYPD Officer Arrested, Charged With Spying For China
by Tyler Durden Mon, 09/21/2020 - 18:15
A NYPD officer has been arrested and charged with acting as an agent of China, according to WABC New York.
Community affairs officer Baimadajie Angwang of the 111 precinct in Queens and a US Army Reservist at Fort Dix acted "at the direction and control" of CCP government officials operating out of the consulate in New York, and was reporting on the activities of ethnic Tibetans, according to the allegations against him.
Angwang is accused of using his official position with the NYPD to give consulate officials access to senior NYPD officials. He is also accused of committing wire fraud, making false statements and obstructing an official proceeding, according to the report.
"None of these activities falls within the scope of Angwang's official duties and responsibilities with either the NYPD or the USAR," reads the complaint.
Angwang, 33, is an ethnic Tibetan native of the People's Republic of China and a naturalized U.S. citizen who referred to himself as an "asset" of the People's Republic of China, according to the criminal complaint. Since June 2018, the FBI said Angwang has been "in frequent communication" with an unidentified Chinese consular official he referred to as "Boss." -WABC
In one phone conversation, Angwang told his handler at the consulate that he offered to "raise our country's soft power" by having the consular official attend NYPD events, and provide the official with nonpublic information about the NYPD's internal workings.
"Angwang also discussed the utility of developing sources for the PRC government in the local Tibetan community and suggested that the primary qualification for a source as follows: 'If you're willing to recognize the motherland, the motherland is willing to assist you with its resources,'" reads the complaint, which adds that Angwang maintained a relationship with at least two PRC officials stationed at the Consulate since prior to 2018, one of whom is believed to have been assigned to the "China Association for Preservation and Development of Tibetan Culture," a division of the PRC's United Front Work Department ("UFWD"). According to the report, the department is responsible for neutralizing PRC potential sources of opposition.
Recorded conversations have revealed that the PRC officials has been a "handler" of Angwang. He received tasks from them and reported back to PRC officials.
From August 21, 2014, through August 11, 2017, Angwang called and texted one of the PRC official's cellular telephone on at least 53 occasions. From in or about and between June 2018 through March 2020, Angwang called and texted the other PRC official's cellular telephone on at least 55 occasions.
Furthermore, Angwang has been observed entering the Consulate on numerous occasions during these time periods. -WABC
Angwang made his first virtual appearance in federal court in downtown Brooklyn Monday afternoon.
"As alleged in this federal complaint, Baimadajie Angwang violated every oath he took in this country," reads a statement from NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea, who added "One to the United States, another to the U.S. Army, and a third to this Police Department. From the earliest stages of this investigation, the NYPD's Intelligence and Internal Affairs bureaus worked closely with the FBI's Counterintelligence Division to make sure this individual would be brought to justice."
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/nypd-officer-arrested-charged-spying-china