Ex-NYPD sergeant accused of making bids from China goes on trial

A landmark case by federal prosecutors against three men accused of stalking and harassing people in the United States on behalf of the Chinese government begins Wednesday in a Brooklyn courtroom.

It is the first trial linked to what the Chinese government calls Operation Fox Hunt, a global effort they say targets fugitives. US prosecutors say it is a plan to wipe out political dissidents through extortion and intimidation against the targets and their families.

The three defendants whose trial begins this week are Michael McMahon of New Jersey, a retired New York Police Department sergeant turned private investigator; Yong Zhu, aka Jason Zhu, of Queens; and Congying Zheng of Brooklyn.

The men are charged with acting as unlawful agents of the People’s Republic of China, interstate stalking and conspiracy to commit both crimes. They can each face up to 10 years in prison. The process is expected to take two to three weeks.

Prosecutors say the three harassed two unidentified victims in the United States to get them to return to China. Mr McMahon was hired to supervise as part of a scheme that involved bringing a victim’s father to the United States to force him out, according to the indictment. It didn’t work, after which the other two defendants harassed the victim’s daughter and left threatening notes, according to the filing.

Orville Schell, director of the Center on US-China Relations at the Asia Society, said the court proceedings would provide a window into the Chinese government’s often-hidden efforts to suppress speech outside its borders.

“These processes are more than just processes over a few people,” he said. “We are allowed to look domestically at how this control system works from Beijing.”

Eight people were originally charged in the 2020 plot, and three remain at large. When the allegations were first announced, Christopher Wray, the director of the FBI, called them an example of “China’s continued and widespread lawless behavior — and our refusal to tolerate it.”

Mr McMahon has denied the allegations. He told The Times last year that he was stunned when they were announced and didn’t know he was working for China. He claimed he took a job from a woman who found him online, and was told it was money stolen from a Chinese construction company. He said he did surveillance in New Jersey for the client and notified local law enforcement each time.

Lawyers for the men declined to comment ahead of this week’s proceedings.