NEW YORK CITY, New York: A former New York City police sergeant, Michael McMahon, was sentenced this week to 1.5 years in prison. He was found guilty last year of acting as an illegal agent for China.

McMahon was hired as a private investigator to watch a man in New Jersey whom China accused of corruption. This was part of China's global effort, called "Operation Fox Hunt," to bring accused criminals back to China.

A federal jury in Brooklyn found McMahon guilty of stalking across state lines and acting as a Chinese agent without informing the U.S. government. However, the jury found him not guilty of conspiracy. McMahon had said he was innocent of all charges.

The U.S. attorney in Brooklyn said McMahon broke his oath as a former officer and worked dishonorably for China. But McMahon said in court he didn't know China was behind the job—he thought he was helping a company recover stolen money. "I was used without knowing," he said.

His case is part of a broader effort by the Biden administration to stop foreign governments like China and Iran from threatening people living in the U.S. This is known as fighting "transnational repression."

However, President Trump's administration has said it plans to reduce criminal charges in these types of cases unless the behavior is like traditional spying. The new Attorney General, Pam Bondi, said they will focus more on civil cases in such situations.

Judge Pamela Chen, who gave the sentence, said the shift in policy did not affect her decision. "The law is the law," she said.

McMahon had support from two Republican Congressmen, Michael Lawler and Pete Sessions, who asked the judge not to send him to prison, noting his police service and commitment to his family.

Two other men involved in the case, Yong Zhu and Congying Zheng, were also sentenced—Zhu to 2 years and Zheng to about 1.3 years in prison.