Texas-born journalist Thomas Weir Pauken.
Texas-born journalist Thomas Weir Pauken II, 51, has been sentenced to two years in federal prison for acting as an undisclosed agent of the Chinese government in the US, the Justice Department said. Pauken, who pleaded guilty earlier this year, was also sentenced to 36 months of supervised release and barred from travelling overseas during that period. Federal prosecutors said Pauken worked at the direction of individuals linked to China’s government from at least 2019 until his arrest in February 2026. He received at least USD 100,000 for his work, which included writing reports and helping with efforts to recruit people who could provide sensitive information. US authorities said Pauken was stopped by Customs and Border Protection agents when he returned to the country in January 2025.
His lawyer, Charles Burnham, said Pauken has accepted the sentence and does not plan to appeal. Pauken worked with a person identified as “Cathy”, who allegedly told him that his reports were being read by Chinese President Xi Jinping, according to court documents. During questioning, he acknowledged that he believed a person seeking a position in the Trump administration was likely to provide classified information to China, according to an FBI affidavit. However, his lawyer said the government acknowledged in court that Pauken did not provide any classified information to China.