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Korea Herald
18-04-2025
- Politics
- Korea Herald
Former New York police sergeant sentenced to 1 1/2 years in prison for acting as Chinese agent
NEW YORK (Reuters) — A former New York City police sergeant was sentenced to 1 1/2 years in prison on Wednesday over his 2023 conviction for acting as an illegal Chinese agent. Michael McMahon was charged with being hired as a private investigator to surveil a New Jersey resident who was accused by China of corruption, as part of a global campaign by Chinese law enforcement to repatriate alleged criminals living abroad, known as "Operation Fox Hunt." A federal jury in Brooklyn found McMahon guilty of interstate stalking and of acting as an agent of China without notifying the United States attorney general. The jury found him not guilty of conspiracy to act as a foreign agent. McMahon had pleaded not guilty to all charges. 'McMahon, a former law enforcement officer who swore an oath to protect the public, went rogue and dishonorably engaged in a scheme at the direction of the People's Republic of China," John Durham, the top federal prosecutor in Brooklyn, said in a statement. McMahon said he thought he was working for a company seeking to recover embezzled funds, and would not have taken the job if he knew the Chinese government was behind it. "I was unwittingly used," he said in court. McMahon was convicted amid a broader push by former Democratic President Joe Biden's administration to crack down on what it termed transnational repression, or the intimidation and harassment by authoritarian US adversaries such as China or Iran of dissidents on US soil. Republican President Donald Trump's administration, however, has signaled it will scale down criminal enforcement of US foreign influence laws. During her first day on the job in February, Attorney General Pam Bondi said prosecutors would bring criminal cases only when conduct resembles "more traditional espionage," focusing on civil enforcement instead in other scenarios. In handing down the sentence, US District Judge Pamela Chen said changes in prosecutorial priorities had no impact on her decision. "The law is the law," the judge said. McMahon had secured the support of two Republican US Representatives, Michael Lawler of New York and Pete Sessions of Texas. Last year, the two congressmen wrote Chen a letter urging her to spare McMahon prison time, citing his service as a police officer and dedication to his family. Two of McMahon's co-defendants, Yong Zhu and Congying Zheng, were sentenced to two years and 1 1/3 years in prison, respectively.
USA Today
18-04-2025
- USA Today
Ex-NYPD sergeant gets 18 months for helping China stalk expat
Ex-NYPD sergeant gets 18 months for helping China stalk expat Show Caption Hide Caption What makes the US-China relationship complicated? Here's what we know. China is the world's largest manufacturer, while the U.S. is the largest consumer economy. Here's what we know about the complicated relationship. A federal judge sentenced an ex-New York police officer to 18 months in prison over his 2023 conviction for acting as an illegal agent for the People's Republic of China, the Justice Department announced. Federal prosecutors said Michael McMahon, 57, pressured a New Jersey resident to return to China to face bribery and embezzlement charges, an example of a global repatriation campaign by Chinese law enforcement known as "Operation Fox Hunt." A federal jury in Brooklyn found McMahon, of Mahwah, a retired New York City Police Department sergeant, guilty of interstate stalking and of acting as an agent of China without notifying the U.S. attorney general. As part of his sentence, McMahon was also ordered to pay a $11,000 fine. "McMahon, a former law enforcement officer who swore an oath to protect the public, went rogue and dishonorably engaged in a scheme at the direction of the People's Republic of China," John Durham, the top federal prosecutor in Brooklyn, said in a statement. McMahon and his co-defendants, Zhu Yong, 68, and Congying Zheng, 29, were convicted by a federal jury in June 2023 following a three-week trial, the U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of New York, said in a news release. McMahon said he thought he was working for a company seeking to recover embezzled funds, and would not have taken the job if he knew the Chinese government was behind it. "I was unwittingly used," he said in court. Justice Department: A whole floor of a NYC building was a secret, 'illegal police station' for China Prosecutors: Campaign to 'threaten, harass, surveil, and intimidate' According to federal prosecutors, McMahon, Yong, Zheng, and their co-conspirators participated in an international campaign between 2016 and 2019 "to threaten, harass, surveil, and intimidate" a man and his family to return to China to face purported corruption charges. Prosecutors added that Zhu hired McMahon, who was working as a private investigator, to locate the man. McMahon, according to prosecutors, "obtained sensitive information" about the individual and reported back to Zhu and others, including a PRC police officer." McMahon also conducted surveillance outside the New Jersey home of the man's relative and provided detailed reports, prosecutors said in a statement, adding that the operation was supervised and directed by several Chinese officials, including a People's Republic of China police officer and prosecutor. Prosecutors said McMahon understood that the Chinese government wanted the people of his investigation, a fact he volunteered to share with an investigator he had contracted for help. The Justice Department said McMahon took additional steps to harass the man, like researching his daughter's university residence and college major. McMahon was paid more than $19,000 for his role in the illegal repatriation scheme, and even deposited payments into his son's bank account, prosecutors added. In handing down the sentence, U.S. District Judge Pamela Chen said changes in prosecutorial priorities had no impact on her decision. "The law is the law," the judge added. Zhu was sentenced to 24 months in prison, while Congying was handed a 16-month prison sentence. Lawmakers urged judge to spare McMahon from prison time McMahon was convicted amid a broader push by the Biden administration to crack down on what it termed transnational repression, or the intimidation and harassment by authoritarian U.S. adversaries such as China or Iran of dissidents on U.S. soil. But the Trump administration has signaled it will scale down criminal enforcement of U.S. foreign influence laws. During her first day on the job in February, Attorney General Pam Bondi said prosecutors would bring criminal cases only when conduct resembles "more traditional espionage," focusing on civil enforcement instead in other scenarios. McMahon had also secured the support of two Republican U.S. Representatives, Michael Lawler of New York and Pete Sessions of Texas. Last year, the two congressmen wrote Chen a letter urging her to spare McMahon prison time, citing his service as a police officer and dedication to his family. Contributing: Reuters Contact reporter Krystal Nurse at knurse@ Follow her on X @KrystalRNurse, and on BlueSky @
NBC News
17-04-2025
- Politics
- NBC News
Ex-NYPD officer sentenced to 18 months after conviction for helping China stalk an expat
NEW YORK — A former New York police sergeant was sentenced Wednesday to 18 months in prison in a U.S. case about China's pursuit of critics abroad, a sentence that came after two members of Congress urged the judge to spare him from time behind bars. Michael McMahon was convicted in 2023 of contributing to a transcontinental pressure campaign aimed at getting a former Chinese city official to leave the U.S. and return to his homeland. The tactics ranged from Facebook messages to a threatening real-world note on the man's New Jersey door. During an hourslong sentencing, McMahon said he was 'unwittingly used' by Chinese operatives when he took what he thought was a routine private investigation job in 2016. 'I never thought for one minute I was working for China, stalking anyone. Yet now I've lost everything,' McMahon said. 'This is such a nightmare.' He was among 10 people charged in the federal case, which spurred the first trial stemming from U.S. claims about China's decade-old 'Operation Fox Hunt' initiative. Beijing says it's about bringing corrupt officials and other criminal fugitives to justice; Washington deems it an exercise in threatening and harassing dissidents across borders. U.S. District Judge Pamela Chen said McMahon aided 'a campaign of transnational repression ' that harmed the targeted man, his family and the United States. 'This type of crime really does threaten our country's national security,' Chen said. She said the retired New York Police Department officer ignored clear trouble signs when he agreed in 2016 to help find a man named Xu Jin. Xu, a former official in the city of Wuhan, left China in 2010. Authorities there have accused Xu and his wife of bribery, which they deny. Xu's wife testified that he was unjustly targeted for rankling the Chinese power structure. China doesn't have an extradition treaty with the U.S., so China couldn't legally force Xu's return. But he was repeatedly and insidiously pressed to return. At one point, his octogenarian father was abruptly flown in from China to press him to go back, according to trial evidence. Later, a threatening note was taped to his door telling him to go to prison in China to ensure his family's well-being. Brooklyn-based U.S. Attorney John Durham said in a statement Thursday that the ex-officer 'went rogue and dishonorably engaged in a scheme at the direction of the People's Republic of China.' China denies threatening people to make them return. Through his lawyer, McMahon acknowledged searching law enforcement and government databases and conducting surveillance to gather information on Xu. But the former officer maintained he was told the investigation was for a Chinese construction company hoping to recover embezzled money. McMahon and his attorney, Lawrence Lustberg, acknowledged Thursday that the investigator missed 'red flags.' But his clients deceived him, he didn't anticipate the things they did to badger Xu, and he wouldn't have taken the $11,000 job if he had known about China's alleged involvement, Lustberg insisted, calling McMahon a patriot. The claim of transnational repression 'horrifies him as much as anybody,' Lustberg said. McMahon, 57, shook his head as the details of his conviction — on charges including acting as an illegal foreign agent and stalking — were recounted. At other points, he wiped his eyes, particularly when his attorney mentioned the death last week of one of McMahon's eight siblings. Dozens of his relatives and friends filled benches in the courthouse, and some yelled 'shame on you!' and similar remarks at prosecutors as they left the court. McMahon himself declined to comment. He's due to report to prison in June, though the date may be extended. His lawyer said the judge issued 'a thoughtful sentence,' adding: 'It's always tragic when someone who's innocent, and I do think he's innocent, is sentenced to prison.' Five people charged in the case remain at large, believed to be in China. Three others pleaded guilty, and co-defendants Zheng Congying and Zhu Yong were convicted alongside McMahon at trial. Zhu, whose role included helping to hire McMahon, was sentenced to two years behind bars. Zheng, who affixed the note to Xu's door, got 16 months in prison. McMahon drew support from U.S. Reps. Mike Lawler and Pete Sessions, both Republicans. In a June 2024 letter included in a court filing this month, they said they believed McMahon is innocent. Lauding his work and many commendations as an officer before a 2001 injury ended his 14-year NYPD career, the lawmakers asked the judge to consider his 'unique circumstances' and not sentence him to prison.
Japan Times
17-04-2025
- Politics
- Japan Times
Ex-New York cop sentenced to 1½ years' jail for acting as Chinese agent
A former New York City police sergeant was sentenced to 1½ years in prison on Wednesday over his 2023 conviction for acting as an illegal Chinese agent. Michael McMahon was charged with being hired as a private investigator to surveil a New Jersey resident who was accused by China of corruption, as part of a global campaign by Chinese law enforcement to repatriate alleged criminals living abroad, known as "Operation Fox Hunt." A federal jury in Brooklyn found McMahon guilty of interstate stalking and of acting as an agent of China without notifying the U.S. attorney general. The jury found him not guilty of conspiracy to act as a foreign agent. McMahon had pleaded not guilty to all charges. "McMahon, a former law enforcement officer who swore an oath to protect the public, went rogue and dishonorably engaged in a scheme at the direction of the People's Republic of China," John Durham, the top federal prosecutor in Brooklyn, said in a statement. McMahon said he thought he was working for a company seeking to recover embezzled funds, and would not have taken the job if he knew the Chinese government was behind it. "I was unwittingly used," he said in court. McMahon was convicted amid a broader push by Democratic former U.S. President Joe Biden's administration to crack down on what it termed transnational repression, or the intimidation and harassment by authoritarian U.S. adversaries such as China or Iran of dissidents on U.S. soil. Republican President Donald Trump's administration, however, has signaled it will scale down criminal enforcement of U.S. foreign influence laws. During her first day on the job in February, Attorney General Pam Bondi said prosecutors would bring criminal cases only when conduct resembles "more traditional espionage," focusing on civil enforcement instead in other scenarios. In handing down the sentence, U.S. District Judge Pamela Chen said changes in prosecutorial priorities had no impact on her decision. "The law is the law," the judge said. McMahon had secured the support of two Republican U.S. representatives, Michael Lawler of New York and Pete Sessions of Texas. Last year, the two congressmen wrote Chen a letter urging her to spare McMahon prison time, citing his service as a police officer and dedication to his family. Two of McMahon's codefendants, Yong Zhu and Congying Zheng, were sentenced to two years and 1⅓ years in prison, respectively.
South China Morning Post
16-04-2025
- South China Morning Post
Ex New York police sergeant sentenced to 1.5 years for acting as Chinese agent
A former New York police sergeant was sentenced to 1½ years in prison on Wednesday over his 2023 conviction for acting as an illegal Chinese agent Advertisement Michael McMahon was charged with being hired as a private investigator to surveil a New Jersey resident who was accused by China of corruption, as part of a global campaign by Chinese law enforcement to repatriate alleged criminals living abroad, known as 'Operation Fox Hunt'. A federal jury in Brooklyn found McMahon guilty of interstate stalking and of acting as an agent of China without notifying the US attorney general. The jury found him not guilty of conspiracy to act as a foreign agent. McMahon had pleaded not guilty to all charges. 'McMahon, a former law enforcement officer who swore an oath to protect the public, went rogue and dishonourably engaged in a scheme at the direction of the People's Republic of China,' John Durham, the top federal prosecutor in Brooklyn, said in a statement. McMahon said he thought he was working for a company seeking to recover embezzled funds, and would not have taken the job if he knew the Chinese government was behind it. Advertisement 'I was unwittingly used,' he said in court.
