American journalist sentenced to two years in prison for working as an agent for China

An American journalist was sentenced Tuesday to two years in prison after he confessed to helping the Chinese government gather “secrets” in the United States.

Thomas Pauken II, who previously lived in China for more than a decade, prepared confidential reports for a contact in China, according to an affidavit from May. The handler allegedly told Pauken that his reports were being sent to Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Pauken was arrested by the FBI in February at a Washington hotel after allegedly encouraging a Trump administration official to make contact with a woman in China he believed to be a Chinese intelligence agent. He pleaded guilty in June to acting as an unregistered agent for China in the U.S.

Prosecutors argued Pauken was paid $100,000 over a seven-year period to produce reports on U.S.-China relations for the Chinese government, and sought to put his Chinese handler in touch with experts in the U.S.

“He cultivated these relationships in the U.S. as part of an agreement with Chinese intelligence,” prosecutor Eli Ross said at the sentencing hearing, according to Politico. “He did it for money. He made a lot of money." 

Pauken told the judge at his hearing that his behavior was "shocking" and "terrible," but that it stemmed from a desire to improve U.S. and Chinese relations.

“I learned a lot of secrets and I did tell the Chinese about these secrets,” Pauken said. “I thought I was helping, but now I realize I could’ve caused even more damage, including war." 

Judge Leonie Brinkema said that although Pauken had not given Chinese officials any classified information, it was still important to acknowledge that Pauken's handler sought classified information and that Pauken tried to put an administration official in touch with his handler. 

The sentencing comes after prosecutors sought a 33-month prison term for Pauken, who’s been in custody since his arrest, while the defense sought probation or a sentence that could be served in a halfway house.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.