WASHINGTON — A U.S. journalist residing in China for more than a decade entered a guilty plea Thursday in federal court for operating as an unregistered agent of the Chinese government, according to the Justice Department.
Thomas Pauken II will face sentencing on Sept. 1 in U.S. District Court and could receive up to a decade behind bars, officials announced. The journalist publishes work under the byline Tom McGregor to distinguish himself from his father, who previously led the Texas Republican Party during the 1990s and mounted a gubernatorial campaign over ten years ago.
The case represents another example in a series of prosecutions the federal government has pursued against individuals allegedly operating on behalf of the Chinese government without required registration.
In May, Eileen Wang, who previously served as mayor of Arcadia, California, entered into an agreement to plead guilty to similar charges of acting as an unregistered Chinese agent. Authorities alleged she carried out tasks for Chinese officials, including distributing content that portrayed Beijing favorably.
Linda Sun, who formerly worked as an aide to New York governors, faced accusations of leveraging her position for the Chinese government’s benefit. Sun entered a not guilty plea to allegations including failure to register as a foreign agent, money laundering conspiracy with her spouse, and assisting in visa fraud schemes to bring people into the U.S. illegally. Her December trial concluded without a verdict when jurors could not reach consensus.
Authorities took Pauken into custody in February following his arrival in Washington from China. According to court documents, he arranged to meet with an individual seeking employment in the Trump administration, planning to provide that person with a SIM card and offer $10,000 in exchange for reports intended for Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Court filings suggest Pauken viewed his role as a connector between Chinese operatives and potential sources who might supply classified intelligence to Beijing. His attorney has not yet responded to requests for comment.
Beginning no later than 2019, Pauken maintained working relationships with Chinese operatives, including an individual known as “Cathy,” whom he understood to be affiliated with China’s security services. Court documents indicate that from 2019 through 2025, Pauken collected $100,000 for intelligence reports delivered to Cathy, plus funded travel to the United States. Cathy informed him the materials would reach Xi directly.
Border protection officers detained Pauken during his January 2025 return to the United States. During questioning by border and FBI personnel, Pauken revealed plans to meet someone pursuing a position in the Trump administration, intending to supply that individual with a Samsung device and laptop computer. He expressed being “80% sure” the person, if successfully hired, would share classified materials with Beijing, court records show.
Federal agents released Pauken with instructions to proceed with his planned activities. The individual Pauken contacted later told investigators that while Pauken requested publicly available information, he also suggested his Chinese contacts regularly sought more sensitive intelligence. That person indicated having no plans to cooperate with Pauken.
Twelve months later, Pauken returned to the United States for another attempt to recruit this individual, having reconnected over potential commercial petroleum business opportunities. They conducted meetings at a Washington restaurant on Feb. 23 and subsequently at a hotel two days afterward, where federal agents conducted surveillance.
During these encounters, Pauken provided the SIM card and outlined the $10,000 incentive for supplying Cathy with regular reports designed to “influence policy and be read by Xi Jinping,” according to court filings.
Background investigations confirmed that Pauken never completed registration requirements under the Foreign Agents Registration Act nor informed the U.S. attorney general of his activities on China’s behalf.
The Justice Department also revealed that Pauken provided intelligence reports to Chinese nationals from the central city of Wuhan, who requested information regarding technology and Justice Department operations while asking Pauken to locate expertise to assist in cyber espionage activities.
