Record at a Glance
- Clemency type
- Pardon
- Presidential term
- 2025–Present
- Federal district
- Eastern New York
- Offense
- Acting as an agent of a foreign government without prior notification to the Attorney General; conspiracy to engage in interstate stalking; stalking
- Sentence
- 18 months' imprisonment; two years' supervised release; $11,000 fine (April 16, 2025)
- Current status
- Trump’s 2025 full pardon is the latest event in McMahon’s covered federal case. No later professional appointment or separate proceeding is included in this chronology.
Original Case
Michael McMahon, a retired New York police sergeant working as a private investigator, was hired to locate a New Jersey resident targeted by China’s Operation Fox Hunt. Trial evidence showed that McMahon surveilled the man’s family, passed his address to Chinese operatives, and suggested further harassment as part of an effort to coerce him to return to China. McMahon received more than $19,000 for the work. A June 2023 jury convicted him of acting as an illegal Chinese agent, interstate stalking, and stalking conspiracy; he received 18 months in prison and an $11,000 fine.
Clemency
Trump granted McMahon a full and unconditional pardon on November 7, 2025, months after the court imposed an 18-month prison term and $11,000 fine. The pardon relieved the federal punishment in the covered case but did not constitute a judicial reversal of the jury verdict.
Trump Connection
McMahon was a retired New York Police Department sergeant and private investigator whose prosecution became part of the wider political dispute over U.S.–China relations. The public clemency materials do not identify a personal, campaign, or business tie to Trump, a supporting advocate, or an individualized rationale. The pardon is documented; the route by which the case reached the President is not publicly described.
Sources
- Primary Documentation
DOJ: Clemency Grants by President Donald J. Trump (2025–Present)U.S. Department of Justice2026-09-24 - Primary Documentation
DOJ clemency document: Michael McMahonU.S. Department of Justice, Office of the Pardon Attorney2026-09-24 active - Primary Documentation
Original prosecution and sentenceU.S. Department of Justice - Primary Documentation
Signed pardon warrantDOJ / President of the United States