On November 10, 2025, the White House announced a presidential pardon that has reignited debate over justice, foreign influence, and the U.S. government’s efforts to counter overseas repression. President Donald Trump granted clemency to Michael McMahon, a retired New York Police Department sergeant who was convicted in 2023 of stalking and illegally acting as a foreign agent for China. McMahon’s case, the first of its kind under the Justice Department’s campaign against China’s so-called Operation Fox Hunt, has become a flashpoint for questions about the limits of private investigation, the reach of foreign governments, and the fairness of the American legal system.
McMahon, who served 14 years with the NYPD and earned 75 commendations—including the Police Combat Cross—was sentenced in April 2025 to 18 months in prison after a federal jury found him guilty of acting as a foreign agent and interstate stalking. Prosecutors alleged that he played a critical role in an international scheme to intimidate Xu Jin, a former Wuhan city official living in New Jersey, and pressure him into returning to China. The campaign, which spanned from 2016 to 2019, involved surveillance, threats, and even a visit from Xu’s elderly father, flown in from China to plead with his son.
According to CNN, the White House justified the pardon by highlighting McMahon’s distinguished law enforcement career and raising concerns about the integrity of his trial. “Mr. McMahon is a former law enforcement officer who had a distinguished career serving with the NYPD, earning 75 commendations, including the Police Combat Cross, before medically retiring after a crash during a high-speed chase. While on modified desk duty, Mr. McMahon also responded in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks,” a White House official said in a statement. The official further argued, “The investigation of Mr. McMahon and his trial had issues – key interviews were not disclosed and key witnesses allegedly fabricated incidents.”
McMahon’s defense has consistently maintained his innocence, arguing that he was an unwitting pawn in a much larger game. As reported by the Associated Press, McMahon insisted he believed he was working as a licensed private investigator for a Chinese construction company, not the Chinese government. “I never thought for one minute I was working for China, stalking anyone,” McMahon said at his sentencing, according to court records. His attorney, Lawrence Lustberg, called the pardon “a correction of a horrible injustice,” stating, “I will always believe that it was the Chinese government that victimized Mike, a true hero cop, whom our government should have celebrated and honored, rather than indicted.”
The campaign to free McMahon gained momentum thanks to the efforts of his wife, actress Martha Byrne, and the vocal support of Republican Representatives Mike Lawler of New Jersey and Pete Sessions of Texas. Both lawmakers are known for their tough stances on China and wrote to the court before sentencing to vouch for McMahon’s character and urge leniency. “Since being charged, Mr. McMahon has been unwavering in maintaining his innocence. We also believe in his innocence,” they wrote in a letter filed by McMahon’s defense team. After the pardon was announced, Lawler posted on X, “Thank you @POTUS for pardoning Mike McMahon—a decorated NYPD Officer and 9/11 First Responder who never should have been prosecuted to begin with.”
The facts of the case, however, are complex and troubling. Prosecutors said McMahon was paid more than $19,000 to dig up information on Xu Jin and his family. He surveilled Xu’s sister-in-law’s house in New Jersey during a visit by Xu’s elderly father on April 5, 2017, hoping to track Xu’s movements. Court filings revealed that McMahon texted a fellow private investigator, “waiting for a call,” to determine his next steps, to which the other investigator replied, “Yeah. From NJ State Police about an abduction,” and McMahon responded, “Lol.” Prosecutors argued that McMahon realized he was working for the Chinese government when he searched for Xu’s name, but continued with the job regardless.
The campaign against Xu Jin was part of Operation Fox Hunt—a decade-old Chinese government initiative aimed at repatriating fugitives and dissidents living abroad. U.S. authorities have described the operation as a tool of “transnational repression,” involving harassment, threats, and intimidation to silence critics of the Chinese Communist Party. Beijing, for its part, claims it is merely seeking to bring corrupt officials to justice and denies making threats. Xu and his wife, both accused by China of bribery, have denied the charges, arguing they were targeted for political reasons.
The pressure on Xu and his family was relentless. According to Associated Press coverage of the trial, Xu’s daughter’s friends received disparaging Facebook messages, relatives in New Jersey were bombarded with letters, and the visit from Xu’s octogenarian father was orchestrated to increase psychological pressure. The most chilling moment came when Xu’s wife found a note on their front door, which read, in translation: “If you are willing to go back to the mainland and spend 10 years in prison, your wife and children will be all right. That’s the end of this matter!” Xu testified, “However, when I saw that note, I realized that it had become a physical threat.”
McMahon was one of three men convicted in the first U.S. trial stemming from Operation Fox Hunt. His two co-defendants, both Chinese citizens, remain in prison. Three other individuals pleaded guilty, and five more are believed to be at large in China. The Justice Department viewed the successful prosecution as a milestone in its efforts to counter Beijing’s global campaign of intimidation. Yet, the case also exposed the difficulties in distinguishing between legitimate private investigation and unwitting participation in foreign government operations—especially when the lines are blurred by deception.
Despite the conviction, McMahon’s defenders have argued that the prosecution was an overreach and a miscarriage of justice. His wife, Martha Byrne, who has chronicled the ordeal in a forthcoming book, wrote on X, “WE ARE BEYOND GRATEFUL!!!” after the pardon was granted. McMahon himself, released from prison to a halfway house earlier in 2025, was back home in New Jersey by the time the pardon was announced. The Brooklyn federal prosecutors who brought the case declined to comment on the presidential action.
The pardon has drawn strong reactions from all sides. Supporters see it as a long-overdue correction for a law enforcement officer who served his country and was misled by unscrupulous actors. Critics argue it sends a dangerous message about accountability and the risks of foreign interference in American society. As the U.S. continues to grapple with the reach of foreign governments on its soil, the McMahon case stands as a cautionary tale—one that raises uncomfortable questions about justice, loyalty, and the shadowy world of international intrigue.
For now, Michael McMahon is a free man, but the story of his conviction and pardon will likely echo in debates over law, diplomacy, and civil liberties for years to come.
