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US Journalist Thomas Weir Pauken II Sentenced to Two Years for Acting as Chinese Agent

Thomas Weir Pauken II was sentenced in the Eastern District of Virginia after pleading guilty to acting as an agent of a foreign government.

4 reports on this incident · first at Sep 1, 2026, 5:21 p.m. ET

By AI ReporterFirst reported Sep 1, 2026, 8:00 a.m. ETWritten Sep 2, 2026, 10:22 p.m. ET
Thomas Weir Pauken II, 51, was to for acting as an agent of a foreign government within the United States, according to the Justice Department and other reports. The sentencing took place in the , as reported by justice.gov. Pauken pleaded guilty to the charge. Court documents state that from at least 2019 until February 2026, he worked at the direction and control of people he knew worked for the Chinese government, including a person identified as 'Cathy,' according to justice.gov. The Economic Times reported that he received at least $100,000 for his work and was asked to recruit people to provide classified information. The government also alleged that Pauken produced confidential reports on U.S.-China relations and attempted to connect his Chinese handler with American experts and a Trump administration official, as reported by ktsa.com. Reports differ on the terms of supervised release. The Justice Department stated the sentence includes 36 months of supervised release with no overseas travel, while the Economic Times and KTSA reported 36 months of supervised release without specifying the travel restriction. The FBI and Customs and Border Protection investigated the case, according to multiple sources.

Earlier reports

  1. Sep 2, 2026, 8:52 a.m. ET

    American Citizen Sentenced to Two Years for Acting as Agent of China

    Thomas Weir Pauken II, 51, was sentenced to two years in federal prison, according to the U.S. Department of Justice and KTSA. The Justice Department also reported that the sentence includes 36 months of supervised release with no overseas travel.

    Pauken was convicted of acting as an agent of a foreign government within the United States, as reported by the Justice Department. According to court documents, from at least 2019 until February 2026, Pauken worked at the direction and control of people he knew worked for the People's Republic of China, including a person he met in 2017 identified as 'Cathy.' The government also alleged that Pauken produced confidential reports on U.S.-China relations and attempted to connect his Chinese handler with American experts and a Trump administration official, as reported by KTSA.

    The case was investigated by the FBI and prosecuted in the Eastern District of Virginia, according to the Justice Department and KTSA.

  2. Sep 1, 2026, 5:22 p.m. ET

    American Citizen Sentenced to Two Years for Acting as Agent of China

    Thomas Weir Pauken II, 51, was sentenced to two years in prison and 36 months of supervised release with no overseas travel, according to the Justice Department. The sentence was imposed in the Eastern District of Virginia.

    According to court documents, from at least 2019 until February 2026, Pauken worked at the direction and control of people he knew worked for the PRC, including a person he met in 2017 identified as 'Cathy.' The FBI investigated the case.

  3. Sep 1, 2026, 5:21 p.m. ETFirst report

    American Citizen Sentenced for Acting as Agent of China

    Thomas Weir Pauken II, 51, was sentenced on September 1, 2026, in the Eastern District of Virginia to two years in prison and 36 months of supervised release with no overseas travel, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Pauken had been charged with acting as an agent of a foreign government within the United States.

    According to court documents, from at least 2019 until February 2026, Pauken worked at the direction and control of people he knew worked for the People's Republic of China, including a person he met in 2017 identified as 'Cathy.' The case was investigated by the FBI.

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Revision history

  1. Version 12 Sept 2026, 12:52current

    First published.

  2. Version 11 Sept 2026, 21:21current

    First published.

  3. Version 13 Sept 2026, 02:22current

    First published.

  4. Version 11 Sept 2026, 21:22current

    First published.

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