Zhu Yong sentenced to two years in prison for participating in CCP’s Fox Hunt operation in the United States.

On Wednesday, January 15th, the verdict of the first case in the United States involving the Chinese Communist Party’s “Operation Fox Hunt” was announced. One of the participants, Chinese citizen Zhu Yong, was sentenced to two years in prison and may face deportation back to China after serving his sentence.

This marks the first time the United States has prosecuted a case related to the Chinese Communist Party’s “Operation Fox Hunt.” Zhu Yong, a retired Chinese national, was found guilty by a federal court in the United States for his involvement in the CCP-led “Operation Fox Hunt” and “Sky Net” operations. During the trial, Zhu Yong expressed remorse and hinted that he had not fully considered the consequences of his actions.

Through a Mandarin interpreter, he told the court, “I also plead with the United States, the victims, and every American citizen for their forgiveness.” At the same time, he implored the judge to give him “a chance to start anew” so he could watch his grandchildren grow up in the United States.

67-year-old Zhu Yong was convicted of interstate stalking and acting as an illegal foreign agent, with a maximum sentence of up to 25 years for these charges. Prosecutors requested a sentence of approximately six years imprisonment for him.

U.S. Federal Judge Chen Jiamei said that the crimes Zhu Yong was involved in “pose a threat to the national security of the United States” and asked Zhu about his intentions when agreeing to assist a Chinese government official in locating former Wuhan official Xu Jin, with the intention of sending Xu back to China. Xu Jin left China with his wife in 2010.

Zhu Yong did not testify during the trial, but he told the judge that he was initially only asked to help locate Xu and did not know what Xu would face. He claimed he was informed that Xu owed money.

“Mr. Zhu, did you ever think at any point that your actions could harm others?” the judge asked.

“I only realized this could be true after I was arrested,” Zhu Yong replied.

Prosecutors described this case as an example of transnational repression, where foreign governments attempt to intimidate, suppress, or even attack dissidents within the United States. Several U.S. prosecution cases have focused on the Chinese Communist Party’s “Operation Fox Hunt,” a decade-long operation aimed at capturing fugitives abroad, including Chinese officials.

Due to the lack of an extradition treaty between the U.S. and China, Beijing cannot legally request the return of individuals for trial.

Zhu Yong’s current lawyer stated on Wednesday that Zhu later learned of the involvement of Chinese government officials in the matter but did not realize the extent of the pressure Xu might face to be forced back to China.

Judge Chen Jiamei believed that Zhu Yong acted knowingly but showed immaturity.

She said, “He really did not recognize the scope and severity of his actions, and the true harm they caused to the victims and this country.”

Zhu is expected to surrender and begin serving his sentence on April 15th. The other two convicted participants will be sentenced later this winter.

Eight more individuals are charged with involvement in the conspiracy, with three already having pleaded guilty, while the remaining five are believed to be in China.

On June 16, 2023, Zhu Yong and three other participants were convicted. They were charged with using the guise of private detectives to coerce Chinese citizens abroad to return to China for trial through intimidation. The three defendants all appealed the conviction and requested a retrial, but their appeals were rejected by the court.

Zhu Yong made multiple trips to China, passed on sensitive information, and met with Chinese officials.

For example, shortly after returning from China in late July 2016, he hired a New York lawyer to locate the victims using a private detective. On another occasion, after returning from China, Zhu Yong met with the hired detective and Wuhan public security officer Hu Ji at a bakery in New Jersey. Just days after taking photos of the victim’s family in May 2018, Zhu immediately went to China. Prosecutors believe he acted as a “middleman” for Chinese officials.