On November 7th, President Trump announced the pardon of retired New York police officer Michael McMahon, who was convicted of involvement in the Chinese Communist Party’s “Operation Fox Hunt.” The 57-year-old former officer was sentenced to 18 months in prison in April of this year for charges including tracking a New Jersey couple and acting as an unregistered agent for the CCP.
Michael McMahon, hailing from Mahwah, New Jersey, was accused of participating in a “transnational repression campaign.” Prosecutors alleged that he played a detective role in the CCP-led “Operation Fox Hunt.” Initiated by the Chinese Ministry of Public Security in 2014, the operation purportedly aimed to chase down financial and corruption suspects who had fled overseas, but in reality involved the CCP’s secret overseas law enforcement activities. U.S. officials pointed out that for years, this operation had been conducted within U.S. borders without American consent, violating U.S. laws and encroaching on sovereignty, representing part of the broader conspiracy by the Chinese government to exert pressure and intimidate individuals overseas.
Throughout the ordeal, McMahon has steadfastly maintained his innocence, claiming that he was “misled” into believing he was engaged in a legitimate private investigation mission. He stated that he was informed at the time that he was investigating debts for a Chinese construction company and never imagined he was working for the Chinese government.
A White House official, speaking on condition of anonymity to the Associated Press, disclosed that one of the reasons Trump decided to pardon McMahon was due to accepting the argument that McMahon was “misled.” The official noted that McMahon had served 14 years in the New York City Police Department and retired in 2001 due to an injury sustained on duty, receiving numerous commendations.
McMahon’s lawyer, Lawrence Lustberg, stated, “I have always believed that the Chinese government used and harmed Michael McMahon.” He added that McMahon had been previously held in a Michigan prison and was transferred to a halfway house last month for reentry into society.
After retiring from the NYPD in 2021, McMahon became a private detective. According to his pardon application, since his arrest, he had been actively warning other private investigators to be cautious of foreign governments potentially hiring American licensed investigators through deception to engage in illegal activities.