American Citizen Sentenced to Two Years in Federal Prison for Acting as an Agent of the People’s Republic of China

WASHINGTON — An American citizen who lived and worked in the People’s Republic of China has been sentenced to two years in federal prison for acting inside the United States as an agent of a foreign government and assisting intelligence operations tied to China’s Ministry of State Security.

Thomas Weir Pauken II, 51, was sentenced on September 1, 2026, to 24 months in prison, followed by 36 months of supervised release.

The court also imposed a restriction prohibiting Pauken from overseas travel during his supervised-release term.

According to court documents, Pauken acted at the direction and control of individuals he knew were working for the People’s Republic of China from at least 2019 through February 2026.

Federal authorities said his activities included meeting with potential intelligence assets inside the United States, providing them with electronic devices, relaying taskings, collecting reports, and passing information back to his Chinese handlers.

Pauken had lived and worked in China and used his status as a U.S. citizen and his ability to travel to the United States without restriction to support MSS operations.

A central figure in the case was a person Pauken knew as “Cathy,” whom he met in 2017.

According to court documents, Cathy issued taskings to Pauken and directed him to meet individuals who could potentially provide useful intelligence.

Pauken then supplied some of those individuals with devices, including a laptop computer and cellphone, so they could communicate with Cathy.

He also relayed instructions specifying what information was being sought and returned reports from those individuals to Cathy.

Federal authorities said Pauken’s work for Cathy ultimately provided information to the Chinese Ministry of State Security.

Pauken received at least $100,000 for work performed for Cathy.

She also paid for Pauken to make multiple trips from China to the United States between 2019 and 2025 so he could meet people capable of providing information for Pauken, Cathy, and ultimately the MSS.

The case was not limited to a single handler.

Pauken also worked for two other individuals in China whom he met in 2017 and knew as “Richard” and “William.”

Those individuals told Pauken that reports he prepared for them were being sent to Japan.

According to court documents, Pauken believed that Richard and William worked for the PRC government.

His activities also extended into efforts involving technology and U.S. government information.

Federal prosecutors said Pauken sold reports to a group of Chinese individuals from Wuhan who were seeking information about technology and the U.S. Department of Justice.

Those clients also wanted Pauken to locate an expert who could assist them with cyber espionage.

The case therefore involved multiple layers of activity: recruiting and managing potential intelligence sources, facilitating communications between those sources and Chinese handlers, producing intelligence reports, and attempting to identify technical expertise that could support cyber operations.

Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg said Pauken used his American citizenship and unrestricted ability to travel to support MSS operations and gather sensitive information from potential assets.

Eisenberg said Pauken’s conduct involved both recruitment activity and intelligence collection on behalf of Chinese intelligence interests.

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Theophani K. Stamos for the Eastern District of Virginia said Pauken knowingly assisted a foreign adversary for financial gain and continued doing so for years.

Federal authorities emphasized that Pauken’s conduct continued for approximately seven years.

Federal authorities described Pauken’s work as an extended course of activity rather than a single transfer of information or isolated contact with a foreign government.

Roman Rozhavsky, Assistant Director of the FBI’s Counterintelligence and Espionage Division, said Pauken admitted working under the direction of China’s Ministry of State Security to seek access to U.S. political circles and identify new recruitment targets.

The FBI said the case illustrates the lengths to which Chinese intelligence interests may go to recruit individuals and develop access inside the United States.

The sentence also places continuing restrictions on him after his release from prison.

His 36-month supervised-release term will prevent overseas travel and keep him under federal court supervision for three years after completion of his prison sentence.

The investigation was conducted by the FBI Philadelphia Field Office with assistance from the FBI Washington Field Office.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Gavin R. Tisdale of the Eastern District of Virginia and Trial Attorney Eli Ross of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, Counterintelligence and Export Control Section.

Pauken’s sentence imposes a federal prison term and three years of supervised release, while the conduct described in court documents highlights the continuing counterintelligence threat posed by foreign intelligence services seeking access to information and potential recruitment targets inside the United States.

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