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U.S. Journalist Pleads Guilty to Acting as Agent for China

Prosecutors say his plea confirms a years‑long effort to recruit U.S. sources, deliver communication devices, and send reports to Chinese intelligence, raising fresh national security concerns.

FILE - An American flag flies outside the Department of Justice in Washington, March 22, 2019. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)
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Overview

  • Thomas Weir Pauken II pleaded guilty on Thursday, June 4, 2026, to acting as an agent of the People’s Republic of China and faces a statutory maximum of 10 years in prison with sentencing set for Sept. 1, 2026.
  • Court filings say Pauken worked under direction of China‑linked handlers from at least 2019 through February 2026, including a handler identified as “Cathy” who assigned tasks, supplied devices, and received reports.
  • Prosecutors allege Pauken received at least $100,000 and paid travel from his China contacts to meet and cultivate U.S. individuals who could provide information of interest to Chinese intelligence.
  • Investigators say U.S. Customs and Border Protection stopped Pauken on return to the U.S. in January 2025, the FBI monitored later meetings, and he was arrested in February 2026 after attempting to recruit a person who had sought a U.S. administration job by offering a SIM card and $10,000.
  • The Justice Department and FBI framed the plea as part of broader counterintelligence enforcement, noting Pauken’s longtime work for Chinese state media under the pen name Tom McGregor and his reported sales of reports to Wuhan‑based clients seeking U.S. technology and Justice Department information.