US journalist sentenced to 2 years in federal prison

An American journalist, Thomas Weir Pauken II, has been sentenced to two years in federal prison for acting as an agent of the Chinese government within the United States, according to the U.S. Justice Department. Pauken, 51, pleaded guilty and is not planning to appeal the verdict. He was arrested in February and is not permitted to travel overseas for the duration of his supervised release.

The case is part of a series of federal prosecutions targeting individuals accused of working for the Chinese government without proper disclosure. Assistant Attorney General for National Security, John A. Eisenberg, stated that Pauken betrayed his country for money, supporting Chinese Ministry of State Security operations and gathering sensitive information.

Pauken worked as a journalist for various Chinese news organizations, including CCTV and Xinhua, and was most recently an editor for Xinhua, China's state news agency. He received at least $100,000 for his cooperation with "Cathy," a person connected to the Chinese government, and recruited others to provide classified information.

Pauken was stopped by Customs and Border Protection agents when returning to the U.S. in January 2025 and admitted to cooperating with "Cathy" but denied providing classified information.