An American journalist who has lived in China since 2010 and worked for multiple state media outlets in the country has pleaded guilty in a U.S. court to acting as an illegal agent for the Chinese government, the Department of Justice said Thursday.
Thomas Pauken II, who writes under the name Tom McGregor to distinguish himself from his father, a former Texas Republican Party chairman, will be sentenced on 1 September in a U.S. District Court. He faces up to 10 years in prison, reports AP/UNB.
The case is part of a series of federal actions against individuals suspected of working for the Chinese government without properly registering.
Earlier, Eileen Wang, former mayor of Arcadia, California, agreed to plead guilty in May for acting as an illegal Chinese agent, accused of promoting articles favourable to Beijing.
Linda Sun, a former aide to New York governors, faced charges of selling influence to China, failing to register as a foreign agent, conspiring to launder money, and assisting illegal visa fraud. She pleaded not guilty, and her December trial ended in a mistrial after the jury failed to reach a unanimous verdict.
