An American citizen, Thomas Weir Pauken II, has confessed to working secretly for Chinese intelligence over several years. His actions involved gathering sensitive information on U.S. targets and making attempts to infiltrate American political circles, as revealed by federal authorities.
On Thursday, Pauken, aged 50, entered a guilty plea to charges of operating within the United States as an agent for the People’s Republic of China without proper notification to the attorney general, as announced by the Department of Justice.
The FBI issued a strong cautionary statement following Pauken’s admission, underscoring the lengths to which the Chinese Communist Party will go to conduct intelligence-gathering and exert influence within the U.S.
FBI Assistant Director Roman Rozhavsky commented, “By his own admission, Thomas Pauken not only tried to infiltrate U.S. political circles under the direction of China’s Ministry of State Security, but he also collected intelligence on American targets and communicated his findings to his Chinese handlers.”
Federal prosecutors have detailed that Pauken maintained connections with several contacts based in China. These contacts directed him to identify and cultivate relationships with individuals in the United States who could provide intelligence valuable to Chinese interests.
Court documents reveal that Pauken acted as a go-between for these contacts and individuals in the U.S., facilitating the exchange of information and relaying intelligence gathered from his targets back to his Chinese counterparts.
Authorities allege he was compensated more than $100,000 for his efforts and made repeated trips from China to the U.S. over several years as part of the operation.
The U.S. and Chinese flags are displayed side by side in an illustration on Jan. 30, 2023. A Chinese couple had their U.S. naturalization citizenship revoked by a federal judge due to wire fraud and theft of trade secret convictions. (Wang Gang/VCG via Getty Images)
Prosecutors also said Pauken prepared research and reporting for other China-based contacts he believed were connected to the Chinese government.
In addition, investigators said he provided information to a group based in Wuhan that sought insights into American technology and the Justice Department and was interested in locating expertise that could support cyber operations.
The Department of Justice announced Wednesday that a CIA officer who provided Top Secret intelligence to China was sentenced to prison. (Ting Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Rozhavsky said the case serves as a reminder that foreign intelligence services continue to target American institutions.
“This case illustrates the lengths to which the Chinese Communist Party will go to undermine our democratic institutions and degrade our political freedoms, but it also demonstrates the FBI’s resolve to defend the homeland from threats to our national security,” he said. “Let this plea serve as a clear warning: If you attempt to help a foreign adversary as an unregistered agent in the U.S., the FBI will find you and bring you to justice.”
Pauken is scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 1. He faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison, though his final sentence will be determined by a judge.
The case was investigated by the FBI’s Philadelphia and Washington field offices.
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