President Trump pardoned former NYPD cop found guilty in federal court of acting as an agent of China, even though he had two GOP legislators in their cornerdeclaring his innocence.
A federal jury found Michael McMahon, retired NYPD sergeant became a private investigator guilty of acting as a foreign agent and interstate stalking after a two-week trial in June 2023. The jury acquitted him of conspiracy to act as a foreign agent.
Prosecutors said McMahon was an “important participant” in China's campaign to intimidate dissident Xu Jin, a former Wuhan city official, and his family, with the ultimate goal of pressuring Xu to return to China.
McMahon was sentenced in April to 18 months in prisondespite prosecutors asking him to spend the next seven years behind bars.
The sentence was commuted on Friday after Trump pardons McMahonfollowing a campaign to recruit a cop led by his wife, As the World Turns veteran Martha Byrne, and Reps. Mike Lawler (R-Westchester) and Pete Sessions (R-Texas).
“WE ARE VERY GRATEFUL!!!” Byrne, who wrote a book about her husband's case, wrote about X.
“Thank you @POTUS for pardoning Mike McMahon, a decorated NYPD officer and 9/11 first responder who should never have been prosecuted to begin with,” Lawler wrote. “I was proud to work alongside Mike's wife @MarthaByrne10 to secure his pardon and release.”
The pardon was first reported by the New York Times.
Lawler and Sessions, China hawks who have taken a strong stance against the Chinese Communist Party, signed a letter of support for Michael McMahon ahead of his sentencing.
“Since his indictment, Mr. McMahon has steadfastly maintained his innocence. We also believe in his innocence,” they wrote to Judge Pamela Chen in a letter filed by McMahon's defense team in March. “Michael has lost almost everything since this case began, but he has never given up his claim of innocence.”
This case was the first trial involving members “Operation Fox Hunt” A massive effort by the Chinese government to forcibly repatriate dissidents and fugitives around the world, the feds say.
Plot involved forced Xu's elderly father to fly to the United States and dropped him off at Xu's daughter-in-law's doorstep on April 5, 2017.
McMahon, who was paid more than $19,000, was asked to find information about Xu and his family. Prosecutors said he watched his sister-in-law's home during the elderly man's visit, hoping to follow Xu to his home in Warren, New Jersey.
Federal authorities say McMahon realized he was working for the Chinese government when he searched for Xu's name and did his job anyway.
YUKI IWAMURA/AFP via Getty Images
Retired NYPD Sergeant Michael McMahon leaves Brooklyn Federal Court in New York City on May 31, 2023. (Photo by YUKI IWAMURA/AFP via Getty Images)
At one point, after sharing Xu's name with an accomplice, McMahon texted a fellow private investigator that he was “awaiting a call” to determine what to do next, according to court filings.
“Yeah, from the New Jersey State Police about a kidnapping,” another detective joked, and McMahon responded, “Lol.”
McMahon claimed he thought he was working for a private company and that he “did everything by the book as a licensed private investigator.”
