Baimadajie Angwang, a New York City police officer and Williston Park resident, pleaded not guilty in response to federal charges that he supplied Chinese officials with information on Tibetans living in the United States Thursday, according to officials.
Angwang’s attorney, John Carman, told Newsday that his client’s not guilty plea was the beginning of efforts to clear his name.
“Today’s arraignment was a small step forward in our quest to prove the innocence of this Marine Corps veteran,” Carman told Newsday.
Efforts to reach Carman or other officials regarding the case for comment were unavailing.
Angwang, 33, was also charged with committing wire fraud, making false statements, and obstructing an official proceeding, according to the Justice Department.
Last month he was ordered detained by U.S. Magistrate Roanne Mann in federal court in Brooklyn, according to reports.
According to officials, Angwang faces up to 55 years’ imprisonment if found guilty. Court documents showed that Angwang told his official handler from China that he wanted to get promoted by the NYPD so he could bring “glory to China.”
U.S. District Judge Eric Komitee initially ordered the release of Angwang on a $1 million bond Friday before ruling that a hearing would be held to determine the severity of a possible sentence if he is convicted and if deportation would be required, according to reports.
Komitee ordered Angwang’s release to be delayed until at least Tuesday so prosecutor Michael Keilty and John Carman, Angwang’s Garden City attorney, could make arguments regarding the severity of the alleged crimes.
Efforts to reach either official for comment were unavailing.
FBI Special Agent Steven Deck outlined Angwang’s alleged actions in a criminal complaint that was unsealed earlier in federal court in Brooklyn.
Deck said Angwang “maintained a relationship” with at least two Chinese consulates since approximately 2018, according to court documents.
Angwang allegedly contacted one consulate cellphone at least 53 times from 2014 to 2017, according to court documents.
One of the consulates, Deck said, was believed to be assigned to a subdivision of China’s United Front Work Department, responsible for “neutralizing sources of potential opposition to the policies and authority of the [People’s Republic of China].”
Tibet, according to the court documents, is an “autonomous region” in China, historically home to ethnic Tibetans and the spiritual home of Tibetan Buddhism. Since 1951, when China occupied Tibet, a Tibetan independence movement for political separation from China has been present throughout the region, according to the documents.
Thousands of ethnic Tibetans were believed to have been killed during periods of martial law and repression throughout the region, according to the documents.
Angwang, according to court documents, was assigned to the 111th Precinct in Queens and served as a patrol officer and a member of the precinct’s crime prevention team. He was also employed by the U.S. Army Reserve as a staff sergeant stationed in Fort Dix, New Jersey.
Angwang allegedly used his position in the Police Department to provide the Chinese consulates access to senior police officials through invitations to official NYPD events, according to the documents.
Deck said neither of the activities fell within the scope of Angwang’s duties and responsibilities for either the NYPD or the U.S. Army Reserve.
“Had background investigators been aware of the full extent of Angwang’s contact with foreign government officials, Angwang would not have maintained his secret security clearance with the Department of Defense,” the complaint read.
Angwang also allegedly lied by denying he had contacts with foreign government officials or consulates on an electronically submitted background investigation form.
“As alleged in this federal complaint, Baimadajie Angwang violated every oath he took in this country,” NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea said. “One to the United States, another to the U.S. Army, and a third to this Police Department.”
“State and local officials should be aware that they are not immune to the threat of Chinese espionage,” Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers said in a statement. “Our police departments provide for our public safety and are often the first line of defense against the national security threats our country faces. We will continue to work with our state and local partners to protect our nation’s great police departments.”
