Washington– An American journalist who has lived in China since 2010 and works for several government media organizations there pleaded guilty in a US court Thursday to acting as an illegal agent of the Chinese government, the Justice Department said.
Thomas Pawkin II is scheduled to be sentenced on September 1 in US District Court and faces up to 10 years in prison, the department said. He writes under the name Tom McGregor to distance himself from his father of the same name, who was a former chairman of the Texas Republican Party in the 1990s and ran for governor more than a decade ago.
This is the latest in a series of cases brought by the federal government against people suspected of working for the Chinese government without adequate disclosure.
Eileen WangThe former mayor of Arcadia, California, agreed in May to plead guilty to acting as an illegal agent for the Chinese government. She has been accused of following orders from Chinese officials, including sharing pro-Beijing articles.
Linda SunA former aide to New York governors was accused of selling her influence to the Chinese government. Sun pleaded not guilty to the charges against her, namely failing to register as an agent of a foreign government, conspiring with her husband to launder money and helping people defraud to obtain a visa to enter the United States illegally. The December trial ended in a mistrial when the federal jury was unable to reach a unanimous verdict.
In pleading guilty, Bowkin “accepted the responsibility of acting as an agent of the People’s Republic of China without first completing certain U.S. government-required forms,” Charles Burnham, Bowkin’s defense attorney, said in a statement.
Burnham said Bowkin hoped his work would “promote peaceful relations and advance the cause of religious freedom in China.”
Baukin was arrested in February after arriving in Washington from China. He met someone who sought a job in the Trump administration to provide that person with a SIM card and offered $10,000 to write reports for Chinese President Xi Jinping to read, according to the affidavit.
He appeared to see himself as an intermediary between Chinese agents and “human resources” who could provide classified information to Beijing, according to the affidavit. His lawyer did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.
Since at least 2019, Baukin has been working with Chinese agents, including Cathy, who is believed to be working for Chinese security services. Between 2019 and 2025, Pawkin received $100,000 for reports he provided to Cathy, as well as paid trips to the United States, the affidavit says. Kathy told him that Shi would read the reports.
Baukin was stopped by CBP agents when he returned to the United States in January 2025. In interviews with CBP and FBI agents, Baukin said he was meeting with someone who was looking for a job in the Trump administration and would provide that person with a Samsung phone and a laptop. He said he was “80 percent certain” that this person, if appointed by the new administration, would provide classified information to Beijing, according to the affidavit.
US agents let Bauken go and ordered him to continue his plans. Baoken’s contact said in an interview that Baoken requested open source information but also noted that his clients in China frequently request more confidential information. That person indicated he had no intention of working with Baukin, the affidavit said.
A year later, Baukin returned to the United States to make another pitch to this person, whom Baukin reconnected with about a potential oil business deal, according to the affidavit. They met at a Washington restaurant on February 23, then met again two days later at a hotel, where the FBI monitored the meeting.
Baukin gave the person a SIM card and proposed a $10,000 reward to provide Cathy with weekly reports that would “influence policy and be read by Xi Jinping,” the affidavit said.
Database checks showed that Baukin did not register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act or notify the U.S. attorney general that he was acting as an agent of China, the affidavit says.
The Justice Department said Baukin also sold reports to a group of Chinese individuals from the central city of Wuhan, who sought information about the technology and the Justice Department and wanted Baukin to find an expert to help them engage in cyber espionage.