Spy For China Or Scapegoat? A Cop's Battle For Justice

The Dr. Phil Podcast

Dr. Phil McGraw

Mental Health, Self-improvement, Society & Culture, Education, Health & Fitness

4.4 • 13.2K Ratings

🗓️ 17 June 2025

⏱️ 45 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Dr. Phil investigates the controversial case of Michael McMahon, a former police sergeant turned private investigator, now convicted of acting as an unregistered foreign agent. His wife, Emmy award-winning actress Martha Byrne, says the real story isn’t about espionage—it’s about government overreach and a justice system that turned her husband into a scapegoat. Congressman Pete Sessions, who reviewed the case and co-signed a letter to the judge, says Michael is innocent. And retired FBI agent Kevin Hecht, a Chinese counterintelligence expert, believes the government got it wrong. As Michael prepares to enter federal prison, Dr. Phil asks: Is this what justice looks like—or is there something far more dangerous at play?

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Michael McMahon was a decorated NYPD officer and devoted family man.
0:05.8	After retiring, he became a private investigator.
0:09.4	Now, he's been convicted of working for the Chinese government as part of Operation Fox Hunt,
0:16.2	a secret global campaign by China to track down and pressure dissidents living abroad.
0:23.3	Yet Michael insists he's innocent, claiming he was simply doing his job and had no idea
0:30.8	about any international plot. He now faces 18 months in prison.
0:44.1	On today's Dr. Phil podcast, I'll talk with Michael, his wife, and former FBI agent who spent over 20 years investigating the Chinese government.
0:48.8	Could Michael's case expose hidden flaws in our justice system and make us question just how fair and impartial
0:57.7	justice really is?
1:00.3	Stick around.
1:02.3	This is a conversation you do not want to miss.
1:07.0	A decorated NYPD officer now, he's been convicted of working for the Chinese government.
1:13.6	What's happening here should alarm every American.
1:17.1	There was nothing illegal.
1:18.2	It's mind-boggling to me that they would go after me for doing legal, private investigator one.
1:24.1	I feel betrayed by my country.
1:25.9	I think everybody that sees this should be outweighed.
1:29.3	Absolutely outraged.
1:31.3	You know, we all hear stories about heroes.
1:42.3	People who put their lives on the line every day to keep us safe.
1:47.8	Mike McMahon was one of those heroes, a decorated NYPD cop with 78 medals, a devoted dad and husband who spent over 14 years protecting the streets of New York.
2:00.2	After he retired, Mike became a private investigator,
	...

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