#FBI #DOJ #ChineseIntelligence Feds say US citizen gathered information on American targets for Chinese Communist Party An American citizen admitted to working on behalf of Chinese intelligence operatives for years, helping gather information on U.S. targets and attempting to penetrate American political circles, according to federal authorities. Thomas Weir Pauken II, 50, pleaded guilty Thursday to acting inside the U.S. as an agent of the People’s Republic of China without notifying the attorney general, the Department of Justice announced. The guilty plea prompted a st

#FBI  #DOJ  #ChineseIntelligence
Feds say US citizen gathered information on American targets for Chinese Communist Party   wfmd.com/2026/06/04/feds-say…
An American citizen admitted to working on behalf of Chinese intelligence operatives for years, helping gather information on U.S. targets and attempting to penetrate American political circles, according to federal authorities.

Thomas Weir Pauken II, 50, pleaded guilty Thursday to acting inside the U.S. as an agent of the People’s Republic of China without notifying the attorney general, the Department of Justice announced.

The guilty plea prompted a stark warning from the FBI, which said the case demonstrates how far the Chinese Communist Party is willing to go to collect intelligence and influence activities inside the U.S.

“By his own admission, not only did Thomas Pauken attempt to infiltrate U.S. political circles at the direction of China’s Ministry of State Security, but he gathered intelligence on his American targets and reported it back to his Chinese intelligence handlers,” FBI Assistant Director Roman Rozhavsky said.

— Michael Novakhov (@mikenov) Jun 5, 2026