An American living abroad covertly worked as an agent for China and attempted to recruit others for the Chinese government, the FBI has alleged.
According to an FBI affidavit obtained by Politico, Thomas Pauken II has been charged with acting as an agent of a foreign government without registering as one. Pauken II has lived in China since 2010 and worked as a journalist for various outlets, including China Central Television and China Global Television Network. He has worked for Xinhua News since 2024.
The affidavit states that Pauken II received $100,000 from the Chinese government, worked at their direction, and even took a lie detector test because his reports were being shared with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Among the questions asked to him were whether he was spying on China for the U.S. or if he was working for the CIA.
In 2025, Pauken II was stopped and questioned at Washington Dulles International Airport. There, he admitted to sharing reports with people he knew were working for the Chinese government, but he did not have or share classified information.
In the affidavit, Pauken II explained he planned to meet with several people in the U.S. under the name Tom McGregor, including a political consultant who was hoping to get a job in the Trump administration, a person who was a reporter for a financial newspaper, and a person who was president of an energy-focused nonprofit.
The consultant Pauken II met with told the FBI that they thought they were doing geopolitical work through Pauken II for overseas clients. The person also told the FBI that they knew Pauken II as "Tom McGregor." The consultant, who is not named in the document, said that at one-point Pauken II brought the person a laptop and a Samsung cell phone. The items were meant to facilitate encrypted communication between the person, Pauken II, and a woman named "Cathy" in China.
The consultant refused to work with Pauken II and "Cathy" after these items were delivered.
Later in February 2026, Pauken II tried to induce the individual to work with "Cathy" again, offering the person a $10,000 bonus and delivering a SIM card. The person was told that they would make weekly reports to "Cathy" and that the reports would be read by Xi Jinping and influence policy. After this meeting in February, Pauken II was again interviewed by the FBI and was arrested.
Pauken II's attorney emphasized that Pauken II is not charged with espionage or passing along secrets; rather, he is only charged with not having registered his work for China.
"It's critical to understand that Mr. Pauken is not charged with spying or mishandling classified information," Charles Burnham, Pauken II's attorney, said in a statement to Politico Monday. "The government's complaint charges that Mr. Pauken did professional work for a foreign government without first completing certain required paperwork. We look forward to responding to the government's allegations in court."
Pauken II is the son of Republican politician Tom Pauken, who served in the Reagan administration. Tom Pauken also chaired the Texas Republican Party from 1994 to 1997 and was appointed to chair the Texas Workforce Commission in 2008. The elder Pauken also ran unsuccessfully ran for governor Texas in 2014.
Pauken II has been in custody February. He faces a maximum potential sentence of 10 years if convicted.
