The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) arrested five of the eight individuals facing charges over their role in the alleged ‘Operation Fox Hunt’ by the People’s Republic of China.
Last week, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) unsealed the lawsuit and the arrest warrants against the defendants including Zhu Feng (also known as Johnny Zhu), Hu Ji, Li Minun, Hongru Jin, Zhu Yong (also known as Jason Zhu), Michael McMahon, Rong Jing, and Zheng Congying.
The DOJ charged the defendants with conspiracy to act in the United States as illegal agents of China. The department also charged them with conspiracy to harass, stalk, and force U.S. residents to return to China.
According to the Justice Department, the defendants’ actions were part of China’s Operation Fox Hunt, a global, concerted, and extralegal repatriation effort.
In a statement, FBI Director Christopher Wray said, “The Chinese government’s brazen attempts to surveil, threaten, and harass our own citizens and lawful permanent residents, while on American soil, are part of China’s diverse campaign of theft and malign influence in our country and around the world.”
