U.S. citizen sentenced to two years in prison for acting as an agent for the Chinese Ministry of National Security for working for Chinese official media and charging at least $100,000

The U.S. Department of Justice announced on September 1 that U.S. citizen Thomas Weir Pauken II was sentenced to two years in prison by a federal court for acting as an illegal agent of the Chinese government in the U.S. Department of Justice said that Mr. Paul has long resided in China and worked for several official Chinese media outlets, at least from 2019 to February 2026, under the command and control of officials related to the Chinese Ministry of National Security.

According to the case material released by the U.S. Department of Justice, McCain had previously pleaded guilty and admitted to acting as an agent of the Chinese government in the United States without informing the U.S. Secretary of Justice according to law.In addition to two years of imprisonment, he was also sentenced to 36 months of supervised release, and was not allowed to travel internationally during the supervised release.

According to the Ministry of Justice, Paul Ken began to live in China for a long time since the beginning of 2010, has worked for China International Radio, China Central Television, China Universal Television Network and other Chinese state-owned media, and in 2024 also served as an editor of China's official news agency.

Commanded by Chinese National Security System personnel

According to documents released by the Department of Justice, from at least 2019 until February 2026, McCain was in the U.S. under the command and control of personnel related to the Ministry of National Security of the People’s Republic of China.

The case documents showed that a Chinese contact with the English name “Cathy” instructed Powell to contact potential sources in the U.S., deliver communications equipment, collect information and write reports. Powell traveled to the U.S. from China several times to contact those who might possess the information, and then passed the relevant information to Chinese contacts.

The FBI is involved in the investigation of Thomas Weir Pauken II.

According to the Ministry of Justice, Bowen received at least $100,000 for these activities.Some of his travel expenses to the United States were also borne by Chinese contacts.The money was sometimes transferred through his wife's bank account.

Communication devices, encryption software and secret communication

Public case materials also revealed how Chinese personnel were in contact with Baikonur, who had delivered devices such as mobile phones, laptops and SIM cards to personnel in the United States andined contact with Chinese contacts using communication tools such as WeChat, Signal and Telegram.

The judicial material said that Chinese contacts had asked Polk to upload a photo of the sky on the communications platform after arriving in the United States and passing border inspections, as a signal of safe arrival.

John Eisenberg, Assistant Secretary of Justice at the Department of Justice’s Department of National Security, said in the sentencing announcement that Paul McCain used his U.S. citizenship and the conditions for freely entering the U.S. to serve the Chinese government.

Has been asked to look for people who may have been exposed to sensitive information

According to documents previously released by the Justice Department, McCain had been searching for people who could have access to the US government and other sensitive information during U.S. activities, and the case materials also showed that Chinese contacts had shown interest in obtaining classified information.

It is necessary to distinguish between the fact that Paul Ken was convicted of acting as an agent of a foreign government without being notified according to law.Open judicial material is not equivalent to asserting that he has actually obtained or transferred confidential US documents to China, so the case should not simply be described as a "stolen confidentiality" case that has been established by a court ruling.

China's national security system is again concerned about U.S. activities

In recent years, the U.S. Department of Justice, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and other law enforcement agencies have continued to handle cases involving the Chinese Ministry of National Security, the public security system, overseas agency networks and transnational repression.This case directly involves a U.S. citizen who has long lived in China and has an official media background, and also has brought attention to how Chinese intelligence systems use people with cross-border travel facilities and media background.

From the point of view of judicial facts, McCain has been confessed guilty and sentenced; as to the role of the relevant personnel of the Chinese Ministry of National Security in the case, it comes from the U.S. Department of Justice, FBI investigation and court case materials. Beijing has often accused the U.S. of exaggerating the so-called "Chinese threat" in several cases involving Chinese intelligence activities in recent years, but China's officials have yet to confirm the specific response to McCain's sentence.

Focus on China will continue to pay attention to the disclosure of court documents in the case, as well as the network of Chinese contacts, affiliated organizations and related intelligence activities involved in the case.