“An was a leading member of an international campaign to threaten, harass and intimidate the U.S. Resident and his family members, with the goal of coercing the U.S. Resident to repatriate to the PRC,” the Justice Department said in a statement announcing the sentencing, referring to China by the initials of its official name, the People’s Republic of China.

“An participated in the multiyear scheme to elevate his status within the PRC government as a means of furthering his own economic interests.”

The operation began in 2017 and ran until October 2022, when he was arrested and charged in an indictment that also charged several others in the scheme, including his daughter, Guangyang An.

According to the indictment, their target was a dissident the Chinese government listed among its top 100 fugitives. Beijing has tried to coerce John Doe‘s repatriation since at least 2002, accusations him of embezzling public funds as a general manager of a state-owned corporation.

Under the direction of China-based handlers, Quanzhong An attempted to harass and pressure the dissident to return to China.

Federal prosecutors said Quanzhong An and his daughter, along with others charged in the conspiracy, attempted to visit the Long Island home of their target’s son.

At least one such attempt, in September 2018, was captured by home surveillance cameras.

The indictment states Quanzhong An looked inside the home’s windows and attempted to open the front door before walking to the back of the residence where his group took photographs and attempted to gain entry through the back door. He also retrieved and inspected mail from the residence’s mailbox.

Between 2020 and 2022, Quanzhong An repeatedly confronted the son of the intended target. At least one of those meetings was recorded, in which Quanzhong An is heard telling John Doe that they were pressuring him to get to his father.

The Justice Department described Quanzhong An in its Wednesday statement as serving “as a mouthpiece of the PRC by conveying threatening messages on behalf of the PRC government.”

He told the target’s son that the Chinese government “will definitely find new ways to bother you” and “it is definitely true that all of your relatives will be involved.”

In handing down Quanzhong An’s sentence on Wednesday, Matsumoto considered that he and his daughter also participated in bank fraud and money laundering, moving millions of dollars from China into the United States by deceiving U.S. financial institutions about the source and purpose of the money.

Quanzhong An’s scheme was part of China’s international extralegal repatriation effort known as Operation Fox Hunt. Run by China’s Ministry of Public Security, its purpose is to locate so-called fugitives who have fled China.

A total of seven people, including Quanzhong An’s daughter, have been charged with the scheme. However, dozens more have been charged with advancing China’s repressive actions in the United States, including under Operation Fox Hunt.