The U.S. Justice Department said on 2026-09-01 that journalist Thomas Weir Pauken II, 51, was sentenced to two years in federal prison and 36 months of supervised release for acting as an agent of a foreign government within the United States. ^[1] Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg said in a U.S. Justice Department news release on 2026-09-01 that Thomas Weir Pauken II 'betrayed his country for money' by supporting Chinese Ministry of State Security operations, recruiting, and gathering sensitive information from potential assets. ^[2] Defense lawyer Charles Burham said Thomas Weir Pauken II pleaded guilty earlier in 2026, does not plan to appeal his sentence, accepts responsibility, and that the government agreed in court that Pauken provided no classified information to China. ^[3] F-BI Special Agent Timothy J. Healy's Febuary 27, 2026 federal court affidavit says that a Chinese handler identified as 'Cathy' told Pauken that his reports were read by Chinese President Xi Jinping. ^[4] Court documents indicate that from at least 2019 until February 2026, Pauken worked at the direction of people he knew worked for China's government, including a person identified as 'Cathy' who told him reports were read by Chinese President Xi Jinping. ^[5] Pauken pleaded guilty earlier this year and is not planning to appeal the decision, according to his defense lawyer, Charles Burnham. ^[6]