Lu Jianwang, accused of running a Chinese espionage base in Manhattan, has been convicted of illegal foreign agent activity and obstruction of justice.

Lu Jianwang, 64 years old, was sentenced on Wednesday for illegal actions as a foreign agent, being accused of running a secret Chinese espionage base in Chinatown, Manhattan. He was found guilty of obstructing justice by deleting text messages that contained orders from Beijing to harass pro-democracy dissidents.

The trial highlighted U.S. concerns about Chinese repression and sparked controversy regarding Lu's intentions, who claimed that his activities were limited to helping the Chinese diaspora. Lu faces up to 30 years in prison, and his lawyer announced the intention to appeal, arguing that the charges are exaggerated. The Chinese government uses such outposts to monitor dissidents, and Lu's case has been seen as a demonstration of the violation of U.S. sovereignty.