Thomas Weir Pauken II, a 51-year-old US citizen and journalist, was sentenced to two years in federal prison on September 1 for acting as an agent of China without notifying the US attorney general [1, 2, 3, 4]. Pauken also received a three-year supervised release period after prison, during which he is barred from overseas travel [1, 2, 3, 4].
Pauken was arrested in February 2026 at a hotel in Washington DC and pleaded guilty in June 2026 to charges of espionage and acting as an unregistered foreign agent [1, 2, 3, 4]. Prosecutors stated he worked for Chinese state media outlets, including Xinhua News Agency, CCTV, and CGTN, and lived in China since 2010, serving as a Xinhua editor from 2024 [1, 5, 3, 4].
Over about seven years from 2019 to 2025, Pauken received at least $100,000 for assisting Chinese intelligence. His duties included recruiting potential intelligence sources and reporting to handlers from China’s Ministry of State Security (MSS) [1, 2, 5, 3, 4]. Pauken traveled multiple times between China and the US during this period, funded by these payments, to meet intelligence sources [5, 3, 4].
Although Pauken did not provide classified information, he was aware his handlers sought sensitive information and facilitated their network [2, 3, 4]. The FBI reportedly tried to recruit Pauken as a double agent without success [2]. Pauken also used the alias Tom McGregor in some China-related work [1, 4].
Pauken’s defense lawyer said he admitted responsibility and respects the court’s ruling, noting he did not provide classified information to China [3]. Assistant Attorney General John A. Eisenberg said Pauken had “betrayed his country for money” and “exploited his US citizenship and corresponding ability to travel to the US without restriction” [1]. The Chief Assistant US Attorney Theophani K. Stamos stated Pauken’s actions were a sustained effort over about seven years harming US interests [5].
Pauken’s father chaired the Texas Republican Party in the 1990s and ran for governor [1, 4]. Pauken suffered from mental health issues and financial difficulties while living in China and ran a WeChat group supporting MAGA among the Chinese diaspora [2].
Pauken first moved to China in 2010 and began working for Chinese state media. In 2017, he met a Chinese intelligence operative codenamed "Cathy" who gave him instructions [5, 3, 4]. He tried to recruit US government officials and experts for China, including one official seeking promotion shortly before his arrest [2, 5, 3, 4].
