California Mayor Admits She Acted As An Illegal Agent For China

Former Arcadia mayor Eileen Wang has agreed to plead guilty to acting as an illegal agent for China, federal prosecutors announced. Wang, who resigned from her position in Arcadia, California, faces up to 10 years in prison and a possible $250,000 fine after admitting she secretly worked to spread pro-Beijing propaganda in the United States before taking office.

According to the Justice Department, Wang and her associate, Yaoning “Mike” Sun, promoted content on a website called “U.S. News Center” at the direction of Chinese officials. Court records state their actions included posting material supplied by Chinese government contacts, sometimes after seeking approval or edits from those officials. The activities prosecutors described occurred between 2020 and 2022, before Wang was elected to the Arcadia City Council in November 2022 and became mayor through a rotating system.

Federal authorities said Wang did not notify the U.S. Attorney General about her work for a foreign government, as required by law. The plea agreement, filed April 1 and unsealed on Monday, states Wang admitted to receiving and executing directives from Chinese government officials. In one instance, a high-level Chinese official sent Wang an article to publish, writing, “This is what the Ministry of Foreign Affairs wants to send.”

Wang’s attorneys said her actions were personal and involved a media platform operated with someone she considered her fiancé, not her official mayoral duties. “Her love and devotion for the Arcadia community have not changed and did not waver,” her lawyers stated.

Arcadia city officials emphasized that the criminal conduct occurred before Wang took office and did not involve city staff or resources. The City Council will select a new mayor at its next meeting, and city operations continue as normal.

Sun previously pleaded guilty to acting as a foreign agent and is serving a four-year sentence. Another convicted Chinese operative involved in the case, John Chen, was sentenced to 20 months in prison in November 2024.