A prominent Chinese businessman in New York was sentenced to 20 months in federal prison for illegally acting as an agent of the Chinese Communist Party, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Quanzhong An, a permanent U.S. resident and influential figure in Queens’ Chinese business community, pleaded guilty in March to participating in a yearslong campaign to pressure a Chinese expatriate, identified in DOJ filings as "John Doe-1" and reported by The Wall Street Journal to be Liu Shenxiang, into returning to China under duress.
The case centers on Operation Fox Hunt, a global initiative launched under Chinese leader Xi Jinping, which Beijing claims is aimed at rooting out corruption and repatriating fugitives.
U.S. officials, including the FBI and DOJ, have repeatedly criticized the program as a vehicle for transnational repression, used to intimidate political dissidents, silence critics and circumvent international legal norms.
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According to DOJ court documents, An coordinated an effort to harass and surveil Liu, a former executive at a state-owned enterprise in Shandong province who fled China in 2000 and later settled in the U.S.
Chinese authorities have accused Liu of financial crimes and placed him on a list of the 100 most-wanted economic fugitives. The U.S. has taken no position on the veracity of those charges.
Prosecutors say An acted at the direction of Chinese officials, helping them locate Liu and deliver threatening messages.
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He told Liu’s family that if Liu returned to China, criminal charges would be dropped, but if he remained in the U.S., he could expect relentless legal pressure and personal harassment.
The WSJ reported Chinese operatives even published Liu’s New York address and attempted to confront his family in person.
The Justice Department said An not only arranged for Liu’s relatives to travel from China to pressure him, but also watched Liu’s home and involved his daughter, An Guangyang, who was sentenced to two days in jail for unrelated visa violations.
An was ordered to pay nearly $1.3 million in restitution to Liu, forfeit more than $5 million in assets and now faces possible deportation.
Despite being the head of the Chinese Business Association of New York and other cultural groups in Flushing, Queens, An never registered as a foreign agent as required under U.S. law.
He maintained deep ties to the Chinese government, including political advisory roles in Shandong province, even as he invested millions in New York real estate.
The FBI has described the Chinese government as "the greatest threat to transnational repression globally," citing repeated efforts by Beijing to surveil, coerce and intimidate people living lawfully in the United States. According to the FBI, these operations are part of a broader pattern that undermines American sovereignty and threatens public safety.
In response, the Trump administration announced new tariffs in early 2025 on strategic Chinese sectors, such as technology and logistics, citing national security concerns.
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The White House also directed the DOJ to increase enforcement of the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) and pursue legal action against covert operatives acting on behalf of foreign governments.
DOJ officials have said investigations into similar cases of foreign interference are ongoing, and the FBI continues to prioritize threats from authoritarian regimes that target individuals on U.S. soil.
The Department of Justice did not immediately respond to FOX Business' request for comment.
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