Retired NYPD sergeant found guilty of harassing family in New Jersey on behalf of Chinese government along with two others
- Michael McMahon, Zhu Yong and Zheng Congying have all been found guilty in federal court in Brooklyn.
- Former NYPD cop McMahon was also found guilty of acting as an unregistered foreign agent
Three men have been convicted of harassing a family in New Jersey on behalf of the Chinese government.
Michael McMahon, a retired NYPD sergeant, Zhu Yong and Zheng Congying, both Chinese citizens, were convicted of harassment and a related conspiracy charge in federal court in Brooklyn.
Yong and McMahon were also convicted of acting as unregistered foreign agents, and Yong was convicted of a second conspiracy charge.
Each of the men played a role in Operation Fox Hunt – a campaign the Justice Department says is part of the Communist Party’s efforts to control Chinese nationals around the world.
The three men worked to track down dissidents who had fled China and intimidate them into returning.
Michael McMahon (pictured), a retired NYPD sergeant, Zhu Yong and Zheng Congying were convicted of harassment and a related conspiracy charge in Federal Court in Brooklyn
Yong (right) and McMahon were also found guilty of acting as unregistered foreign agents. Zheng Congying (left) gave a thumbs up outside the field
The case is the first the Justice Department has pursued to combat the operation, with charges against the three men announced in 2020.
Xu Jin, a former Chinese government official who moved to the United States more than a decade ago, was targeted in the plot organized by government officials.
Communications between the men began in 2016 when Yong contacted McMahon, who worked as a private investigator.
McMahon’s attorney says he believed Yong was working for a private company seeking to recover money.
He then carried out surveillance for five days, spread over six months, in 2016 and 2017, as well as recordings relating to Jin’s whereabouts.
The former cop also met with Yong’s associate, Hu Ji, a police officer with the Public Security Bureau in Wuhan, China.
The three met at a Panera Bread restaurant in October 2016, with a photo showing McMahon smiling and putting his arm around Yong.
