FBI Arrests Chinese Music Student for Allegedly Threatening Pro-Democracy Activist

The U.S. Department of Justice in Washington on June 11, 2021. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

A Chinese student was charged with stalking for allegedly threatening and harassing a U.S. permanent resident who posted flyers in support of democracy in China, officials said on Dec. 14.

Wu Xiaolei, a Chinese citizen studying at Berklee College of Music–Boston allegedly threatened a person who posted a flyer near the campus demanding democracy and freedom in communist China.

“Post more, I will chop your [expletive] hands off,” Wu told the activist in a group chat on WeChat, a Chinese social media app, according to the charging documents (pdf).

Wu, 25, also said he had reported the activist to the public security agency in China and that the Chinese police would visit the activist’s family, according to the complaint.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts didn’t reveal the name of the activist but said the person is a U.S. permanent resident from China and has family members there.

The charges against Wu came after a series of similar prosecutions targeting what U.S. officials describe as the Chinese regime’s transnational repression. In the past year, more than a dozen Chinese intelligence agents, officials, and U.S-based individuals allegedly working with the regime have been charged in relation to schemes that allegedly intend to harass, intimidate, and repatriate Chinese dissidents in the United States.

Federal prosecutors in Boston said Wu had been arrested on Dec. 14 on the charge of stalking.

Wu made his appearance in federal court in Boston later that afternoon.

The charge of stalking carries a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000.

Details

On Oct. 22, an individual posted an A4 paper on a window near the campus, which read, “Stand with Chinese People,” “We Want Freedom,” and “We Want Democracy,” according to the charging documents.

The flyer posted by the pro-democracy activist. Charging document

Prosecutors said Wu claimed he reported the person to the public security agency in China.

“I already called the tipoff line in the country, the public security agency will go greet your family,” Wu said in a WeChat group with more than 300 members, according to the complaint.

It’s believed Wu was referring to China’s Ministry of Public Security or the Ministry of State Security. “Both agencies investigate political dissidents, including those who voice support for democracy,” the document stated.

Wu also allegedly solicited others from the WeChat group to find out where the individual lived. According to the charging documents, Wu posted the activist’s email address in the WeChat group, named “Berklee Class of 2024,” to encourage others to harass the person.

In an Oct. 24 email addressed to the activist, which Wu later posted on his Instagram account, Wu said the person would be arrested upon returning to China, and the person’s family members would receive a “political review” from Chinese authorities.

“You should wash dishes for the capitalist dogs,” Wu said in the email, according to the charging documents.

“Oh right, you can also sue me for personal attacks against you, but I feel that with your family background, you will not be able to get rid of me. I already got screenshot(s) of your social account(s) number(s). I also read your records at school. I also called the tip-off line in the country. If you can overturn this, I consider you [expletive] awesome. Don’t go back to the country, it is not appealing to you.”

U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins of the District of Massachusetts (C) addresses the media at the Moakley Federal Courthouse in Boston, on May 24, 2022. Charles Krupa/AP Photo

Reaction

U.S. prosecutors said Wu’s threats and harassing behavior weren’t free speech. “Rather, it was an attempt to silence and intimidate the activist’s expressed views dissenting of the PRC,” U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins said, referring to China’s official name, People’s Republic of China.

“We will not tolerate threats, harassment or any other repression attempts against those peacefully promoting their ideas, doing their jobs, or expressing their opinions. Freedom of speech is a constitutional right here in the United States and we will protect and defend it at all costs.”

“This alleged conduct is incredibly disturbing and goes completely against our country’s democratic values,” said Joseph Bonavolonta, a special agent in the Boston division of the FBI.

Growing US Alarm

The Berklee student’s appearance at the U.S District Court of Massachusetts came after a string of similar cases in which pro-democracy Chinese activists or dissidents were allegedly targeted by the Chinese regime in attempts to silence them.

In March, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that five individuals were charged with stalking, harassing, and spying on Chinese nationals on U.S. soil. Prosecutors said the defendants were players in Beijing’s transnational repression aimed at suppressing critics of the communist regime.

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Among those allegedly targeted include a California-based artist and an Army veteran running for the congressional seat representing a district in Long Island.

In October, the DOJ unsealed an indictment against seven individuals who were allegedly working at the behest of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to force Chinese nationals who are living in the United States to return to the county, as part of the broad transnational repression campaign known as Operation Fox Hunt.

The Congressional-Executive Commission on China, an independent bipartisan agency of the U.S. government, in its annual report released in November, highlighted the Chinese regime’s ongoing “multi-year campaign of transnational repression against critics, Uyghurs, and others to stifle criticism and enhance control over emigrant and diaspora communities.”

Recent reports by Spain-based nonprofit Safeguard Defenders revealed that the Chinese regime runs more than 100 “police service stations” around the world, including two in New York City and one in Los Angeles.

The global network has been used by the CCP to carry out its transnational repression, according to the human rights group.

The reports raised concerns among lawmakers in the United States, Canada, the UK, and other European countries. At least 14 countries have launched an investigation into the facilities.

FBI Director Christopher Wray said in a November hearing that these outposts are being investigated.

“To me, it is outrageous to think that the Chinese police would attempt to set up shop—you know, in New York, let’s say—without proper coordination,” Wray told lawmakers on Nov. 17. “It violates sovereignty and circumvents standard judicial and law enforcement cooperation processes.”

“I’m deeply concerned about this. I’m not going to just let it lie.”