An American journalist has been sentenced to two years in federal prison for acting as an agent of a foreign government within the United States. Thomas Weir Pauken II, 51, pleaded guilty earlier this year and will also serve 36 months of supervised release without overseas travel.
Pauken was arrested in February and his case is among recent federal prosecutions of individuals accused of working for the Chinese government without proper disclosure amid ongoing tensions between Washington and Beijing. Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg stated that Pauken "betrayed his country for money" by supporting Chinese Ministry of State Security operations, recruitment, and the gathering of sensitive information from potential assets.
Having moved to China in 2010, Pauken worked for various Chinese news organizations, including state broadcaster CCTV and most recently as an editor for Xinhua, China's state news agency, a position he held since 2024. According to court documents, from at least 2019 until February 2026, Pauken operated under the direction of individuals he knew were affiliated with China's government. One such contact, identified as "Cathy," allegedly informed Pauken that his reports were reviewed by Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Pauken received at least $100,000 for his collaboration with "Cathy." His duties extended beyond writing reports to include recruiting individuals to provide classified information. In one instance, Pauken was instructed to provide a specific individual with a Samsung phone, a computer, and login credentials for encrypted messaging and file-sharing services.
Upon returning to the U.S. in January 2025, Pauken was stopped by Customs and Border Protection agents. During interviews with CBP and FBI agents, he indicated he was "80 percent sure" that an individual seeking a position in the Trump administration would provide classified information to China, though Pauken advised against it. He also stated that "Cathy" typically funded his trips to the U.S. over the years, often wiring payments to his wife's bank accounts.
Pauken, a native of Texas, used the alias Tom McGregor while working as a commentator and writer at the request of his father, a former chairman of the Texas Republican Party, who sought to distance himself from his son's activities in China. Pauken published two books under his own name, one in 2019 on U.S.-China relations and another in 2023 about Shenzhen. His father had previously run for governor. Pauken's most recent publicly visible social media post, under the McGregor alias, showed him on a trip to Washington D.C. with his family, shortly before his arrest.