WASHINGTON — An American journalist who worked for Chinese state media has been sentenced to two years in federal prison for secretly acting as an agent for the Chinese government in the United States.
Thomas Weir Pauken II, 51, pleaded guilty earlier this year to acting as an agent of a foreign government without registering with US authorities. He was also given three years of supervised release and barred from travelling overseas during that period, the US Justice Department said.
Pauken was arrested in February after returning to Washington from China. He had lived in China since 2010 and worked for several Chinese news organisations, including state broadcaster CCTV and Xinhua, the country’s official news agency.
Prosecutors said Pauken began working with Chinese government contacts in at least 2019. One of them, a person identified in court documents as “Cathy”, directed him to gather information in the United States and develop contacts who might have access to sensitive material.
Pauken received at least $100,000 for his work, according to the Justice Department. His travel to the United States was also sometimes paid for by his Chinese contacts.
Court documents say Pauken was told that reports he produced were being read by Chinese President Xi Jinping.
His activities went beyond writing reports. Prosecutors said he was asked to recruit people who could provide classified information to China.
In one case, Pauken met a person seeking a job in the Trump administration. He was instructed to provide that person with a Samsung phone, a computer and access to encrypted messaging services, according to an FBI affidavit.
Pauken told investigators that he was about 80% certain the person could provide classified information to China if hired, although he said he had advised the person not to do so.
The FBI later monitored meetings between Pauken and the same individual. In February this year, prosecutors said, Pauken offered a $10,000 payment in exchange for weekly reports that he said would influence policy and be read by Xi.
Pauken did not provide classified information to China, his lawyer, Charles Burnham, said after the sentencing. Burnham said his client had accepted responsibility for failing to register his activities with the US government.
The Justice Department said Pauken had supported operations linked to China’s Ministry of State Security, including recruitment and the collection of sensitive information.
Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg said Pauken had used his US citizenship and ability to travel freely to support Chinese intelligence activities.
Pauken used the professional name Tom McGregor while working as a commentator and writer. His father, who has the same name, was chairman of the Texas Republican Party in the 1990s and later ran unsuccessfully for governor.
The younger Pauken also published books under his real name, including one on US-China relations and another about the Chinese city of Shenzhen.
His defence portrayed him as someone who believed his work could improve relations between Washington and Beijing. Burnham said Pauken had hoped to promote peaceful relations and religious freedom in China.
The case comes as US authorities have intensified prosecutions of people accused of working secretly for Beijing. Washington and Beijing have been locked in a broader dispute over trade, technology and national security, while US officials have repeatedly warned about Chinese intelligence operations inside the United States.
Pauken will not appeal his sentence, his lawyer said.
