If you have been following two-time Daytime Emmy-winning actress, Martha Byrne’s (ex-Lily, As the World Turns) social media accounts or have been following news reports, Byrne is adamantly speaking out about charges and a conviction levied against her husband, former decorated NYPD sergeant-turned-licensed private investigator, Michael McMahon.
The couple share three children together and have been married for over 30 years. Last week, McMahon was preparing to go back to work. However, Michael was blindsided when a Brooklyn federal court convicted him and two others accused of stalking a New Jersey couple on behalf of China.
McMahon told the New York Post, that he felt betrayed by the Department of Justice (DOJ). Clarifying further, Michael felt he and his family with Martha Byrne where being made scapegoats in the DOJ’s first case against Operation Fox Hunt, which is the Chinese Communist Party’s anti-corruption campaign that targets Chinese nationals abroad. It also targets former government officials and others suspected of economic crimes against China.
In the case against McMahon, he was hired in fall of 2016 by what he believed was a translation company from New Jersey to do surveillance on a luxury New Jersey home occupied by a relative of Xu Jin and Liu Fang, and to use public records to find companies and other assets registered to the couple. He was then informed that Xu and Liu had had stolen money from a construction company, and the people who hired him wanted to find where the cash had gone. However, McMahon says what he was not told was that Xu was a former official in Wuhan, who had fled China amid allegations of corruption.
McMahon said that when he conducted surveillance as he had done on numerous other cases. However, what he did not know was that his work was used in a civil suit in New Jersey in 2018 against Xu and others by a Chinese construction group that alleged that they had embezzled millions from that company.
Things took a bad turn in October of 2020 when 12 federal agents surrounded McMahon and Byrne’s home. Michael was arrested, but it wasn’t your normal arrest, he detailed. McMahon didn’t think he needed a lawyer so he spoke to the FBI agents. He had wanted to help the government.
Photo: MBryneFacebook
Byrne shared, “He was being as transparent as he possibly could. Instead, they turned everything against him and made him look like the devil in court. I’ve never seen such dark forces trying to portray him as an unlawful person.”
McMahon was charged with violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act by working for the Chinese government without telling the State Department, and with conspiracy to commit interstate stalking.
Byrne answered one soap fan’s inquiry to clarify what exactly happened to her husband in a Facebook post. She expressed: “He was hired to find assets on a civil matter. never asked to do ANYTHING illegal. The FBI let the Chinese agents flee, who were operating some scheme separately and unbeknownst to my husband, so the FBI turned their attention to an innocent man to save face. They took legal work as a PI and deemed it criminal for their own purposes. This is VERY VERY scary for every US citizen.”
In the NY Post account, it details that the DOJ shifted its focus to Operation Fox Hunt, targeting private investigators across the country, including McMahon.
Currently Michael is not allowed to be a private detective until this case is overturned. He shared: “I didn’t harass or stalk anyone, and if I had been asked to do so, or if I had suspected that my clients worked for the Chinese Communist Party, I would have contacted the FBI right away and not proceeded with the job.”
Byrne expressed: “The DOJ knew this problem existed, that private investigators were being used, they knew the patterns well, but they communicated none of this until after Mike’s arrest … We are fighting to the end.”
McMahon’s lawyer will file a post-trial motion next month to overturn the conviction.
Photo: NATAS
On her Twitter account, Martha shared their lawyer’s, Lawrence Lustberg’s statement: “We are obviously very disappointed with today’s verdict and feel strongly that it is not consistent with the evidence in the case but more importantly, is not consistent with the truth. That truth is that Michael McMahon never had any idea that he was working for the Chinese Government. If he had, he would not have taken the job or done the work he did. His work in this case was the normal every day work of a private investigator and Mike’s conviction on the stalking counts, as a practical matter, criminalizes the work of private investigators in every case. We will file post-trial motions and, if necessary appeal, until all possible appeals and lawful avenues to challenge this verdict have been exhausted. And I believe that we will ultimately prevail because this conviction is a terrible injustice, one that I do not believe our legal system will allow to stand.”
What do you think about the conviction of Martha Bryne’s husband, Michael McMahon and by all accounts how he has been wrongly convicted? Comment below.
Great article Michael. Thank You!!
I am so happy to see that we were able to raise this money for a cause close to all of our hearts. It has given us something to be proud of in the midst of the debacle of an ending that ATWT gave Luke and Reid. Although the Powers That Be showed the fans and our beloved characters nothing but disdain, we were able to channel our grief into something respectful of Eric, Reid, Van and Luke and our dedication to them over the last several months. Congratulations to all, and thank you Michael.
Thank you Michael for getting the word out there about the campaign & for keeping it in the spotlight.
I’m proud to be associated with this great group of friends to channel our grief about how things ended for our favorite couple to something positive & to help so many people that need it.
I don’t think I’ve ever been more proud of a fandom than I am of this one.
And thank you, Michael, for this lovely article and for your brilliant interviews to Eric & Van. They were especially welcome treats after all the frustration and disappointment LuRe fans have experienced over the last couple of weeks.
Thank you so much for your continued support & encouragement. This charitable endeavor that we all started would not have been the success it’s become without you helping to spread the word. This is such a great group of people & the fact that we’ve managed to turn such heartbreak & tragedy into something so worthwhile & far-reaching such as DWB just really makes me proud to not only be a part of this, but to call these people my friends. 🙂
That is so wonderful, thank you for this update Michale, it makes me happy.
Thank you Michael for your praise of a group of folks I could not be more proud of. I shared with them today that I can’t help but be reminded of the end of “It’s a Wonderful Life”. Every time a donation is made to the page, I get an email. It reminds me every day how many angels this fan base has, how many lives will be saved and how lucky I am to know these folks.
Your continued support and gettting the word out for us mives me in a way I find hrd to articulate. You have earned your wings as well:-)
Michael, firstly THANK YOU for your continued support.
The fans have been incredible in their generosity and it truely leaves me speechless.
I’m so proud of each one of them for channeling their grief into this wonderful cause.
Thanks Michael for all your help in getting the word out about our campaign. I am so proud of this fandom that I am a part of. It truly amazes me everyday when I see the number going up. When we reached the original goal of $15k on Tragic Tuesday, I cried tears of joy. The show may be over, but the fans are still giving. We have almost reached the new goal of $20k (just $560 to go).