The Justice Department on Wednesday unsealed charges against eight Chinese nationals accused of conspiring with the country’s government to “threaten, harass, surveil and intimidate” Chinese citizens into returning to their home country.
Five of the charged individuals were arrested Wednesday while the rest are believed to be in China, according to John Demers, assistant attorney general for the Justice Department’s National Security Division.
The alleged scheme, dubbed Operation Fox Hunt by the Chinese, targeted expatriate Chinese accused of crimes under Chinese law. But instead of returning the individuals under proper international law enforcement methods, federal prosecutors said the defendants engaged in illegal conduct to coerce their targets back to China.
Mr. Demers described the defendants’ actions as “plain and simple, hostage taking.”
“Rather than work with U.S. authorities for assistance with recognized criminal cases as responsible nations do, China resorts to extralegal means and unauthorized, often covert, law enforcement activity,” Mr. Demers told reporters at a press conference announcing the charges.
Many of the targets were not criminals but rather outspoken opponents of Chinese President Xi Jinping.
“Today’s charges reflect yet another example of China’s ongoing and widespread lawless behavior,” FBI Director Christopher A. Wray said at the press conference.
Prosecutors say that between May 2017 and July 2018, the defendants repeatedly harassed a man only identified as John Doe-1 in an effort to bring him back to China.
The defendants schemed to bring John Doe-1’s elderly father from China to the U.S., against his will, and then use the older man’s surprise arrival to threaten and coerce the target to return to China, according to court documents. The defendants are also accused of targeting and surveilling John Doe-1’s daughter, secretly recording her to pressure her dad, court documents revealed.
A threatening note was left on John Doe-1’s door threatening him that his “wife and children will be all right” if he agreed to spend 10 years in a Chinese prison, prosecutors allege.
All the defendants are charged with conspiring to act in the United States as illegal agents of the People’s Republic of China. In addition, six defendants face charges related to conspiring to commit international and interstate stalking.
Zhu Yong, Hongru Jin, and Michael McMahon were arrested Wednesday and will be arraigned via teleconference before U.S. Magistrate Judge Peggy Kuo.
Rong Jing and Zheng Congying were arrested in the Central District of California, and their initial appearances will take place Wednesday.
Zhu Feng, Hu Ji, and Li Minjun remain at large.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
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