The Democratic mayor of Arcadia, California, Eileen Wang, has agreed to plead guilty to acting as an illegal agent of the Chinese government, federal prosecutors announced Monday, bringing a sudden end to her tenure leading the Southern California city.
Wang, 58, was charged with one count of acting in the United States as an illegal agent of a foreign government. The charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison. She is expected to formally enter her guilty plea in the coming weeks, writes NBC News.
According to court documents, the conduct took place between late 2020 and 2022, before Wang was elected to the Arcadia City Council in November 2022. She later became mayor through Arcadia’s rotating selection process among council members.
Wang resigned Monday from both the mayor’s office and the City Council after the charges and plea agreement were unsealed.
Federal prosecutors allege Wang worked with her then-fiancé, Yaoning “Mike” Sun, to operate U.S. News Center, a website directed at the local Chinese American community. The two allegedly received instructions from officials with the People’s Republic of China to publish pro-PRC propaganda and report back on the reach of the material.
One episode described in the plea agreement involved a June 2021 directive from a PRC official who sent pre-written articles, including one denying allegations of genocide and forced labor in Xinjiang. Wang posted the material soon after receiving it through WeChat and then sent the link back to the official, who responded, “So fast, thank you everyone.”
In another instance, Wang edited an article at an official’s request, shared viewership statistics showing more than 15,000 readers, and responded to praise with “Thank you leader.”
Prosecutors said Wang did not disclose on the website or to U.S. authorities that she was acting at the direction of the Chinese government.
Sun, who also served as Wang’s campaign consultant, pleaded guilty to a similar charge in 2025 and was sentenced earlier this year to four years in prison.
Federal officials framed the case as part of a broader effort to counter covert foreign influence inside the United States.
“Individuals in our country who covertly do the bidding of foreign governments undermine our democracy,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli. “This plea agreement is the latest success in our determination to defend the homeland against China’s efforts to corrupt our institutions.”
Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg said elected officials have a special obligation to the public they serve.
“Individuals elected to public office in the United States should act only for the people of the United States that they represent.”
FBI officials described the case as part of a larger campaign to confront foreign influence operations aimed at American communities and elections.
Wang appeared Monday in federal court in Los Angeles, where she was ordered to post a $25,000 bond and surrender her passports. Her attorneys said she apologizes for mistakes made in her personal life and remains devoted to the Arcadia community.
Arcadia City Manager Dominic Lazzaretto said an internal review found no evidence that city resources or city decision-making were involved in the alleged conduct. The City Council is expected to select a new mayor at its next meeting.
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Well it isn’t like she had a Chinese limo driver for twenty years……………….
Teddy warned us about ‘hyphenated Americans’ over a century ago and their divided loyalties yet voters STILL seem to have no problem (s)electing them to public office.