A real estate businessman who assisted a Chinese operation to pressure an expatriate to return home has been sentenced to over a year in a U.S. prison. U.S. prosecutors state that Quanzhong An’s actions were part of the Chinese government’s “Operation Fox Hunt,” which Beijing describes as pursuing individuals who have evaded justice, while Washington views it as transnational repression. The Brooklyn-based U.S. Attorney John Durham remarked that An worked under the direction of the Chinese government to harass and intimidate individuals residing in the U.S. as part of a scheme to compel their repatriation.
An, a 58-year-old Chinese citizen and legal U.S. resident, pleaded guilty last year to acting as an illegal foreign agent and was sentenced to 20 months in prison, of which he has already served seven. An’s attorney, Benjamin Brafman, expressed sadness at the prospect of his client returning to prison for even a day longer, but acknowledged the prosecution’s request for a lengthier sentence.
The case involves An’s involvement in targeting a former manager of a Chinese state-owned company, accused by Beijing of embezzlement and identified as a priority in “Operation Fox Hunt.” An visited the target’s son in an attempt to locate the father in 2017 and pressured the son in recorded meetings in early 2020 to facilitate the father’s return to China, with the implication that failure to comply would lead to ongoing harassment by Chinese officials.
An also offered to repay the alleged embezzled funds and arranged for a Chinese official to speak with the son to further press for the father’s return. This incident is part of a broader trend, with the U.S. Justice Department bringing charges against numerous individuals engaged in acts of transnational repression on behalf of various countries, including China and Iran.
In a separate development, a Manhattan federal jury recently convicted two men for conspiring to kill Iranian American journalist Masih Alinejad in a murder-for-hire plot allegedly financed by the Iranian government. The U.S. prosecutors claimed that the plot was thwarted when law enforcement intervened. Iran has denied any involvement in such schemes targeting individuals in the U.S.
An was among seven individuals charged in 2020, including his daughter Guangyang An, who awaits sentencing after pleading guilty in May last year. The current status of the other five co-defendants is not immediately clear.
In a related case at the Brooklyn federal courthouse, three individuals were found guilty in 2023 in connection with the first trial involving U.S. allegations regarding “Operation Fox Hunt.” Two of the accused have already received prison sentences, while the third is currently awaiting sentencing.
