A real estate businessman has been sentenced to over a year in U.S. prison for helping Chinese authorities pressure an expatriate to return to China.
Prosecutors state Quanzhong An participated in “Operation Fox Hunt” – described by Beijing as an initiative to pursue fugitives, but characterized by Washington as transnational repression targeting dissidents abroad.
“Quanzhong An acted at the direction of the Chinese government to harass and intimidate individuals living on U.S. soil as part of a scheme to force their repatriation,” said Brooklyn-based U.S. Attorney John Durham.
China’s embassy and consulate did not immediately respond to requests for comment. China has previously denied threatening its nationals in other countries.
An, 58, a Chinese citizen with legal U.S. residency, received a 20-month sentence after pleading guilty to acting as an illegal foreign agent. He has already served seven months.
His lawyer, Benjamin Brafman, described An as “a very fine man” and called the additional prison time “heartbreaking,” while noting prosecutors had sought a much longer sentence.
According to court documents, An was the primary U.S. operative in efforts targeting a former manager of a Chinese state-owned company accused of embezzlement. The target was designated an “Operation Fox Hunt” priority, with China requesting international assistance to locate him.
An visited the target’s son’s home in 2017 seeking the father. Beginning in 2020, An pressured the son in recorded meetings to secure his father’s return to China, suggesting this would improve An’s standing with Chinese officials.
Despite acknowledging the embezzlement case was a legally dubious pressure tactic, An warned the son that Chinese officials were monitoring family relatives and would “keep pestering you” unless the father returned. “They intend to make your life difficult,” An reportedly stated.
An offered to reimburse the alleged embezzled funds and arranged for a Chinese official to directly pressure the son by phone.
The U.S. Justice Department has charged numerous individuals with transnational repression on behalf of various countries in recent years. An was charged in 2020 alongside six others, including his daughter Guangyang An, who awaits sentencing after a guilty plea. The status of the other defendants remains unclear.
In a related case at the same Brooklyn courthouse, three men were convicted in 2023 in the first trial involving “Operation Fox Hunt” allegations, and two have already been sentenced to prison.
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