Brooklyn, NY – Michael McMahon, a retired NYPD sergeant turned private investigator, was sentenced to 18 months in prison on April 16, 2025, for acting as an illegal agent of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The sentencing, handed down by U.S. District Judge Pamela Chen in Brooklyn federal court, marks a significant moment in the U.S. crackdown on China’s “Operation Fox Hunt,” a campaign to forcibly repatriate alleged fugitives through intimidation.
McMahon, 57, of Mahwah, New Jersey, was convicted in June 2023 of interstate stalking and acting as an unregistered foreign agent. Between 2016 and 2019, he surveilled a U.S. resident, Xu Jin, a former Chinese official targeted by the CCP for alleged corruption. Hired by Chinese citizen Zhu Yong, McMahon accessed law enforcement databases, tracked Xu’s family, and facilitated a scheme involving Xu’s 82-year-old father, who was coerced into traveling from China to New Jersey under threats. A co-defendant left a threatening note at Xu’s home in 2018, warning of consequences if he didn’t return to China. McMahon earned over $19,000, funneling payments through his son’s account to obscure their source.
Prosecutors, including U.S. Attorney John Durham, accused McMahon of aiding the PRC’s transnational repression, posing a threat to national security. Judge Chen fined him $11,000, emphasizing the case’s broader implications. Zhu Yong and Zheng Congying, convicted alongside McMahon, received 24 and 16 months, respectively, in January 2025, while five other co-conspirators remain at large, likely in China.
McMahon pleaded not guilty, claiming he believed he was working for a Chinese company recovering embezzled funds, not the CCP. His lawyer, Lawrence Lustberg, argued McMahon missed “red flags” and was deceived, portraying him as a “patriot” who wouldn’t have taken the job knowingly. At sentencing, McMahon expressed remorse, saying, “I never thought I was working for China, stalking anyone. Now I’ve lost everything.” Two Republican congressmen, Michael Lawler (NY) and Pete Sessions (TX), had urged leniency, citing his 14-year NYPD career and family dedication.
The case, the first U.S. trial conviction tied to Operation Fox Hunt, underscores tensions over foreign influence. On X, reactions vary—some, like
@EchoTroll69, see it as a necessary stand against CCP interference, while others question the prosecution’s fairness, noting McMahon’s lack of direct evidence linking him to the CCP’s intent. As U.S.-China relations remain fraught, McMahon’s sentencing highlights the challenges of balancing national security with individual accountability.
