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.CALIFORNIA MAYOR ACCUSED OF SECRETLY WORKING FOR CHINA, SPREADING PROPAGANDA WHILE IN OFFICE: FEDSFederal prosecutors said Pauken maintained relationships with multiple China-based contacts who tasked him with identifying and cultivating people in the United States capable of providing information of interest to Chinese intelligence services.According to court filings, Pauken acted as an intermediary between those contacts and individuals in the U.S., facilitating communications and relaying information gathered from his targets.Authorities allege he was compensated more than $100,000 for his efforts and made repeated trips from China to the U.S.
over several years as part of the operation.CHINA'S SPYING IN CUBA SPARKS ALARM ON CAPITOL HILL AFTER FRESH SATELLITE IMAGES SHOW SURVEILLANCE BUILDUPThe U.S.and Chinese flags are displayed side by side in an illustration on Jan.
30, 2023.A Chinese couple had their U.S.
naturalization citizenship revoked by a federal judge due to wire fraud and theft of trade secret convictions.(Wang Gang/VCG via Ge...