Another Agent Charged in PRC-sponsored Operation Fox Hunt

Sun Hoi Ying, aka Sun Haiying a Chinese national, is charged in a criminal complaint, which was unsealed Wednesday March 30, 202 in the Southern District of New York, with conspiring to act in the United States as an illegal agent of the People’s Republic of China (PRC).

According to court documents, Haiying, 45, of the PRC, from at least February 2017 through February 2022, acted in the United States as an agent of the PRC government, without notifying the U.S. Attorney General as required by law

Public Domain:   Byron E. Schumaker, ca. 1935-, Photographer (NARA record: 8451340) - U.S. National Archives and Records Administration

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams for the Southern District of New York said: “The PRC government launched a campaign dubbed ‘Operation Fox Hunt,’ a global plot to repress dissent and to forcibly repatriate so-called ‘fugitives’ – including citizens living legally in the United States – through the use of unsanctioned, unilateral and illegal practices,”  He added: “We allege Mr. Sun, as part of that campaign, attempted to threaten and coerce a victim into bending to the PRC’s will, even using a co-conspirator who is a member of U.S. law enforcement to reinforce that the victim had no choice but to comply with the PRC government’s demands. Today’s charges reflect this office’s continued commitment, working hand in hand with our partners at the FBI, to combat transnational repression and bringing to justice those who perpetrate it.”

According to court documents, the FBI has been involved in an investigation of individuals who, working at the direction of the PRC government, have engaged in an international campaign, known alternatively as “Operation Fox Hunt” and “Operation Skynet,” to pressure individuals located in the United States and elsewhere to return to the PRC to face charges or to otherwise reach financial settlements with the PRC government.  On March 17, 2022  five CCP agents were indicted on charges related to CCP Spying on Chinese Nationals in  the US and Abroad