Lu Jianwang waits to enter a federal courthouse in New York, Wednesday, May 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Supporters of Lu Jianwang, also known as Harry Lu, stand outside a federal courthouse before the opening of his trial in New York, Wednesday, May 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
NEW YORK (AP) — A man accused of running a secret Chinese spy outpost in New York City was convicted Wednesday of acting as an illegal foreign agent and destroying text messages from a Chinese government handler.
Lu Jianwang, 64, was acquitted of a related conspiracy charge in a case that pitted U.S. concerns about China’s crackdown on pro-democracy dissidents against the defense’s contention that prosecutors twisted a well-meaning Chinese American community leader’s bureaucratic misstep to put him in prison.
Lu spoke to supporters as he left Brooklyn federal court but declined to answer questions from reporters. His lawyer, John Carman, said federal prosecutors dressed up a mundane paperwork case with specious suggestions that Lu was involved in spying and intelligence gathering.
