In New York, a real estate businessman involved in a Chinese campaign to pressure expatriates to return home has been sentenced to more than a year in a U.S. prison. U.S. prosecutors have linked Quanzhong An’s actions to “Operation Fox Hunt,” an initiative Beijing claims targets escaped criminals. However, Washington interprets this as transnational repression, a strategy where governments work beyond borders to silence dissenters.
Brooklyn-based U.S. Attorney John Durham stated that Quanzhong An acted under the direction of the Chinese government to intimidate individuals living in the U.S., aiming to coerce them into repatriation. Efforts to seek comments from China’s embassy in Washington and its consulate in New York were made, although China has previously denied any allegations of threatening its citizens abroad.
The 58-year-old Chinese citizen and legal U.S. resident, An, admitted guilt last year to operating as an illegal foreign agent. He has been sentenced to 20 months in prison, having already served seven months of this sentence. An’s lawyer, Benjamin Brafman, expressed his disappointment at seeing An return to prison, describing him as “a very fine man.” However, he acknowledged that prosecutors had sought an even longer sentence.
According to the prosecution and an indictment, An played a pivotal role in a cross-national effort aimed at a former manager of a Chinese state-run company whose identity remains undisclosed. Beijing has charged this individual with embezzlement, labeled him a high priority within “Operation Fox Hunt,” and called on international law enforcement to locate and detain him.
An, residing in suburban Roslyn Heights, New York, visited the home of the target’s son in 2017 in search of the father. Beginning in early 2020, An repeatedly pressured the son through recorded meetings to facilitate his father’s return to China. An indicated that he was assisting the Chinese government in liaising with the family members, claiming he’d gain favor with Chinese officials by arranging the father’s return.
Prosecutors noted that An recognized the embezzlement charges against the father and son as a baseless tactic to apply pressure. He allegedly warned the son that Chinese officials would continue to “pester” the family if the father didn’t return, intending to complicate their lives. Additionally, An purportedly offered to pay back the ill-gotten gains and arranged for a Chinese official to contact the son by phone to apply further pressure.
In recent developments, the U.S. Justice Department has charged numerous individuals over transnational repression efforts on behalf of China, Iran, and other nations. Just this Thursday, a federal jury in Manhattan convicted two men of plotting to murder Iranian American journalist Masih Alinejad, in a scheme allegedly financed by the Iranian government. Tehran has denied any involvement in such plots within the U.S.
An was charged in 2020 alongside six others, including his daughter Guangyang An, who is currently awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty. The situation concerning the other defendants remains unclear. In a related case at the same Brooklyn federal courthouse, three individuals were convicted in 2023 in the first trial relating to U.S. claims about “Operation Fox Hunt.” Two of the defendants have been sentenced to prison, with the third awaiting a similar fate.