Queens Business Owner Acted As 'Illegal Agent Of China,' Feds Say

FLUSHING, NY — A Flushing business owner and six others have been indicted in what federal prosecutors are calling a "multi-year campaign of harassment" intended to coerce a U.S. resident to return to the People's Republic of China.

The indictment, announced Thursday, charges seven Chinese nationals with eight counts including conspiracy, acting as unlawful agents of China and money laundering charges.
Quanzhong An, who prosecutors allege is the ringleader of the scheme, owns a hotel in Flushing. He is accused of working directly with the Chinese government to try to forcibly repatriate John Doe and his family. The scheme was dubbed "Operation Fox Hunt."

Quanzhong An, 55, and Guangyang An, 34, were arrested Thursday morning. The other defendants remained on the loose: Tian Peng, Chenghua Chen, Chunde Ming, Xuexin Hou, and Weidong Yuan. The defendants repeatedly threatened the victim and the victim's family members, the indictment details, writing messages like "coming back and turning yourself in is the only way out."

Quanzhong An also owns a minority stake in a luxury high rise building in Elmhurst, the indictment said.

According to the attorney's office, "Quanzhong An and Guangyang An engaged in a money laundering scheme involving millions of dollars from the PRC to the U.S. financial system. As part of the scheme, the defendants and their co-conspirators repeatedly lied to U.S. financial institutions to obscure the ownership and control of the funds."

The government is now attempting to seize the Flushing hotel and the defendants' homes in Roslyn.