Thomas Weir Pauken II, a 50-year-old American citizen, pleaded guilty on Thursday to acting as an unregistered agent of the People's Republic of China, according to the Department of Justice. Pauken admitted to gathering information on U.S. targets and attempting to infiltrate American political circles. Federal prosecutors stated that he maintained relationships with contacts in China who tasked him with identifying individuals in the U.S. capable of providing intelligence. Pauken reportedly received over $100,000 for his activities and made multiple trips between China and the U.S. over several years. He is scheduled to be sentenced on September 1 and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison. The case was investigated by the FBI's Philadelphia and Washington field offices.
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U.S. Citizen Pleads Guilty to Acting as Agent for Chinese Intelligence
Thomas Weir Pauken II has pleaded guilty to acting as an agent for Chinese intelligence, admitting to gathering information on U.S. targets and attempting to infiltrate political circles. He faces a maximum of 10 years in prison, with sentencing scheduled for September 1.
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Feds say US citizen gathered information on American targets for Chinese Communist Party
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U.S. Citizen Pleads Guilty to Acting as Agent for Chinese Intelligence
