Legal Docket by CourtListener: United States v Angwang 1:20-cr-00442
On January 19, 2023, AP News reported that charges against a New York City police officer accused of spying on behalf of China were formally dropped after U.S. prosecutors said they uncovered new information that warranted the dismissal.
According to the report, it ended a two-year ordeal for Baimadajie Angwang, a naturalized U.S. citizen born in Tibet, who spent about six months in custody before being granted bail. He had been accused of spying on expatriate Tibetans in New York on behalf of officials at the Chinese consulate in the city.
The case is yet another wrongful and unjust prosecution brought under the now-defunct "China Initiative" although the details of Angwang’s case differed from the others, which involved academics.
During a brief court appearance, prosecutors said they were dropping charges “in the interest of justice.” U.S. District Judge Eric Komitee tried to prompt prosecutors to share what they could about their change of mind, but they declined to reveal what new information led them to do so.
The U.S. attorney’s office in Brooklyn had claimed that Angwang began working as an agent for China in 2018 and was secretly supplying information on Tibetans pushing for their homeland’s independence from the communist government. It said he had worked to locate potential intelligence sources and identify potential threats to Chinese interests.
While Angwang had been let out on bail, he was detained at the outset of the case for about six months.
The government case partly relied on intercepted communications between Angwang and a consulate official. There was no allegation that Angwang compromised national security or New York Police Department (NYPD) operations. When prosecutors filed their case in 2020, they deemed him “the definition of an insider threat.”
After gaining asylum, Angwang became a Marine and served in Afghanistan before being honorably discharged. Angwang went on to join the Army Reserve and the NYPD, earning a “Cop of the Month” award at his precinct in September 2018, according to the court filing. He is currently suspended, with pay from the NYPD. The U.S. Army Reserve said Angwang was “administratively separated” on Jan. 21, 2021.
Links and References
2023/02/02 CBS News: Exclusive: Baimadajie Angwang, NYPD officer accused of spying for China, wants to set the record straight after charges were dropped
2023/01/19 AP News: US drops case against NYC cop accused of spying for China
ABC-7: Charges dismissed against NYPD officer accused of spying for China
2023/01/16 New York Times: U.S. Asks to Drop Case Accusing N.Y.P.D. Officer of Spying for China
CNN: Prosecutors drop charges against NYPD officer accused of acting as foreign agent for China
2023/01/15 Fox News: Feds drop indictment against NYPD officer, Army reservist accused of spying for China
2023/01/14 New York Post: Feds drop case against NYPD cop Baimadajie Angwang accused of being Chinese spy
2022/08/18 Fox News: NYPD officer accused of spying for China to stand federal trial next month after release on $2M bond
2020/09/22 Business Insider: An NYPD officer and US Army reservist has been arrested and accused of spying on Tibetan New Yorkers for China
2020/09/21 Department of Justice: New York City Police Department Officer Charged with Acting As an Illegal Agent of the People’s Republic of China
According to the report, it ended a two-year ordeal for Baimadajie Angwang, a naturalized U.S. citizen born in Tibet, who spent about six months in custody before being granted bail. He had been accused of spying on expatriate Tibetans in New York on behalf of officials at the Chinese consulate in the city.
The case is yet another wrongful and unjust prosecution brought under the now-defunct "China Initiative" although the details of Angwang’s case differed from the others, which involved academics.
During a brief court appearance, prosecutors said they were dropping charges “in the interest of justice.” U.S. District Judge Eric Komitee tried to prompt prosecutors to share what they could about their change of mind, but they declined to reveal what new information led them to do so.
The U.S. attorney’s office in Brooklyn had claimed that Angwang began working as an agent for China in 2018 and was secretly supplying information on Tibetans pushing for their homeland’s independence from the communist government. It said he had worked to locate potential intelligence sources and identify potential threats to Chinese interests.
While Angwang had been let out on bail, he was detained at the outset of the case for about six months.
The government case partly relied on intercepted communications between Angwang and a consulate official. There was no allegation that Angwang compromised national security or New York Police Department (NYPD) operations. When prosecutors filed their case in 2020, they deemed him “the definition of an insider threat.”
After gaining asylum, Angwang became a Marine and served in Afghanistan before being honorably discharged. Angwang went on to join the Army Reserve and the NYPD, earning a “Cop of the Month” award at his precinct in September 2018, according to the court filing. He is currently suspended, with pay from the NYPD. The U.S. Army Reserve said Angwang was “administratively separated” on Jan. 21, 2021.
Links and References
2023/02/02 CBS News: Exclusive: Baimadajie Angwang, NYPD officer accused of spying for China, wants to set the record straight after charges were dropped
2023/01/19 AP News: US drops case against NYC cop accused of spying for China
ABC-7: Charges dismissed against NYPD officer accused of spying for China
2023/01/16 New York Times: U.S. Asks to Drop Case Accusing N.Y.P.D. Officer of Spying for China
CNN: Prosecutors drop charges against NYPD officer accused of acting as foreign agent for China
2023/01/15 Fox News: Feds drop indictment against NYPD officer, Army reservist accused of spying for China
2023/01/14 New York Post: Feds drop case against NYPD cop Baimadajie Angwang accused of being Chinese spy
2022/08/18 Fox News: NYPD officer accused of spying for China to stand federal trial next month after release on $2M bond
2020/09/22 Business Insider: An NYPD officer and US Army reservist has been arrested and accused of spying on Tibetan New Yorkers for China
2020/09/21 Department of Justice: New York City Police Department Officer Charged with Acting As an Illegal Agent of the People’s Republic of China