Summary
Michael McMahon, a former NYPD sergeant, was sentenced to 18 months in prison for participating in a Chinese campaign to pressure a former official, Xu Jin, to return to China. Convicted of acting as an illegal foreign agent and stalking, McMahon claimed he was misled into believing he was conducting a routine investigation for a construction company. Despite support from lawmakers who viewed him as innocent, U.S. District Judge Pamela Chen emphasized the national security threat posed by McMahon’s actions, which included surveillance and intimidation tactics against Xu.