‘China mole’ bust delayed to build case
The Tibetan NYPD cop accused of spying for China first landed on the department’s radar because he was talking to people under investigation by its Intelligence Bureau, The Post has learned.
Intelligence brass alerted the Internal Affairs Bureau about Officer Baimadajie Angwang — who later allegedly began gathering information on fellow Tibetans in May 2018 — and the IAB in turn called the FBI, law-enforcement sources said Tuesday.
The NYPD considered arresting Angwang several times but held off so the feds could develop their case — and also because no one was in danger, sources said.
Meanwhile, Angwang raised a red flag at a Tibetan New Year party that he attended in uniform last year — where he was photographed sitting next to US Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-Bronx/Queens).
Sonam Gyephel, the former president of the Tibetan Community of NY & NJ, said the group became suspicious of Angwang, 33, and “cut off the relationship” with him following the 2019 event at its community center in Woodside, Queens.
Gyephel declined to say precisely what alerted members to the since-disgraced cop, who’s accused of gathering intelligence on fellow Tibetans at the direction of a handler stationed at the Chinese Consulate in Manhattan.
“We didn’t give any information to him, any documents, nothing,” Gyephel told The Post.
In the photo, posted on OcasioCortez’s Instagram page, Angwang and another cop are seated at a table inside the community center, on either side of the congresswoman, another woman and a baby.
“Losar Tashi Delek! Spent this morning with our NY-14 Tibetan community to celebrate Lunar New Year,” Ocasio-Cortez wrote in the caption on Feb. 9, 2019. “This little one and I were playing with giving each other Tibetan white scarves, or Khatas, which are auspicious tokens given to honor others on holidays and special occasions. We had so much fun!”
The criminal complaint filed against Angwang in Brooklyn federal court alleges that he and his handler — identified only as “[People’s Republic of China] Official 2 — discussed the community center during a Dec. 30, 2018, phone call recorded by the FBI.
A Tibetan group based in Queens also claimed Tuesday to have uncovered ties between Angwang and the Chinese Consulate more than 18 months before he was busted by the feds.
The Tibetan Community of New York and New Jersey issued a twopage statement detailing what it described as repeated efforts by the cop to infiltrate the group by using his uniform and badge as cover.
In a predictable move, China issued a blanket denial of the highly detailed allegations against Angwang.
“The relevant accusations made by the US side are pure fabrication,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said in Beijing, The Associated Press reported.