US Journalist Thomas Pauken II Admits Working as Chinese Agent for Over Five Years

Thomas Weir Pauken II, 50, a US journalist with over a decade's residency and employment in China, has confessed in a US court to operating as an illegal agent for the People's Republic of China (PRC).

According to John A. Eisenberg, US Assistant Attorney General for National Security, Pauken "admitted to being part of a conspiracy to obtain sensitive information from the US government" for Chinese interests. Court documents reveal Pauken's engagement "at the direction and control of people he knew worked for the PRC" from at least 2019 until February of this year, having worked for media organisations including China Central Television and Xinhua News since 2010.

Pauken’s handlers included an individual identified as "Cathy," who provided "taskings, including meeting with potential intelligence assets." This connection originated in 2017 during the "Trump-China trade wars," facilitated by a speechwriter for Chinese President Xi Jinping. The US Department of Justice (DOJ) states Pauken received at least $100,000 from "Cathy" for his activities.

Instructions included multiple trips between 2019 and 2025 to the US to cultivate sources. Assistant Director Roman Rozhavsky of the FBI's Counterintelligence and Espionage Division noted that Pauken "gathered intelligence on his American targets and reported it back to his Chinese intelligence handlers," framing the case as evidence of "the lengths to which the Chinese Communist Party will go to undermine our democratic institutions and degrade our political freedoms."

Pauken also reportedly collaborated with "William" and "Richard" in China, who conveyed that his reports were being transmitted to Japan. Additionally, Pauken sold information regarding the US DOJ and technology to a group from Wuhan, who sought his assistance in finding an expert for cyber espionage.

Following the hearing in Alexandria, Virginia, Pauken's attorney, Charles Burnham, stated his client accepted responsibility, asserting his actions were intended "to promote peaceful relations and advance the cause of religious freedom in China." Pauken faces a maximum of 10 years in prison, with sentencing scheduled for 1 September.