WASHINGTON — An American journalist has been sentenced to 2 years in federal jail for performing as an agent of a international authorities inside the USA, the U.S. Justice Division mentioned.
Thomas Weir Pauken II, 51, pleaded guilty earlier this year and isn’t planning to attraction, in line with his protection lawyer, Charles Burnham. Pauken additionally was sentenced to 36 months of supervised launch with no abroad journey, the division mentioned in a information launch on Tuesday. He was arrested in February.
The case is the newest in a sequence of federal prosecutions involving individuals accused of working for the Chinese language authorities with out correct disclosure, as tensions between Washington and Beijing stay excessive.
“Pauken betrayed his nation for cash” for supporting “Chinese language Ministry of State Safety (MSS) operations, recruiting, and gathering of delicate data from potential property,” mentioned Assistant Lawyer Basic for Nationwide Safety John A. Eisenberg within the information launch.
Pauken labored as a journalist for varied Chinese language information organizations after shifting to China in 2010, together with state broadcaster CCTV. He most not too long ago labored as an editor for Xinhua, China’s state information company, a place he had held since 2024.
“Mr. Pauken has accepted duty and respects the court docket’s sentence,” his lawyer mentioned, including that “as the federal government agreed in court docket, Mr. Pauken didn’t present any categorized data to the Chinese language.”
In line with court docket paperwork, from a minimum of 2019 till February 2026, Pauken labored on the path of individuals he knew labored for China’s authorities, together with an individual he met in 2017 recognized as “Cathy.” “Cathy” advised him the reviews have been learn by Chinese President Xi Jinping, in line with a Feb. 27 federal court docket affidavit filed by FBI Particular Agent Timothy J. Healy.
Pauken acquired a minimum of $100,000 for his work with “Cathy,” the division mentioned.
Along with writing reviews, Pauken was additionally requested by “Cathy” to recruit individuals to supply categorized data. In a single case, Pauken was instructed to fulfill with an individual recognized within the affidavit as “Particular person 1” and supply the individual a Samsung cellphone, a pc, and passwords for Sign and Telegram, in addition to NetDisk.
Pauken was stopped by Customs and Border Protection brokers when he returned to the U.S. in January 2025. In interviews with CBP and FBI brokers, Pauken mentioned he was “80 % certain” that the one who was looking for a job within the Trump administration would supply categorized data to China, though Pauken suggested the individual to not, in line with the affidavit.
Pauken additionally advised investigators that “Cathy” would often pay for his journeys to the U.S. by way of the years, and sometimes wired funds to his spouse’s financial institution accounts, the affidavit mentioned.
China’s Ministry of Overseas Affairs did not instantly reply on Wednesday to a request looking for remark.
Pauken, a Texas native, used the alias of Tom McGregor when working as a commentator and author on the request of his father, who shares his title and wished to distance himself from his son’s work in China.
The youthful Pauken printed two books below his actual title, Thomas W. Pauken II. One was printed in 2019 about U.S.-China relations and one other in 2023 about Shenzhen, a metropolis throughout from Hong Kong in mainland China.
Pauken’s father was a former chairman of the Texas Republican Occasion within the Nineteen Nineties and ran for governor greater than a decade in the past.
In the latest publicly seen Fb submit below McGregor’s title, Pauken shared images of his spouse and youngster on a visit, writing “My household and I having fun with our journey to Washington DC.” He was arrested later that month.
