US journalist Thomas Weir Pauken II sentenced to 2 years in federal prison for acting as illegal agent for China

An American journalist received a two-year prison sentence for acting as a foreign agent. Thomas Weir Pauken II pleaded guilty to supporting Chinese Ministry of State Security operations. He gathered sensitive information and recruited potential assets for the Chinese government. Pauken received over one hundred thousand dollars for his work and accepted responsibility. He worked for Chinese news organizations after moving to China in 2010.