California mayor charged with acting as illegal agent of chinese communist government

LOS ANGELES — The mayor of Arcadia, California, has agreed to plead guilty to acting as an illegal agent of the People’s Republic of China, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Federal prosecutors announced that Eileen Wang, 58, of Arcadia, has been charged with one count of acting in the United States as an illegal agent of a foreign government. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison.

According to court filings, Wang has entered into a plea agreement and is expected to formally plead guilty in federal court in Los Angeles in the coming weeks.

Wang was elected to the Arcadia City Council in November 2022. The city’s mayoral position rotates among members of the five-person council.

Federal officials allege Wang worked at the direction of Chinese government officials between late 2020 and 2022 alongside Yaoning “Mike” Sun, a Chino Hills resident who previously pleaded guilty in a related case and is currently serving a four-year federal prison sentence.

Authorities said Wang and Sun operated a website called U.S. News Center, which portrayed itself as a local Chinese-American news source while allegedly publishing content directed by Chinese government officials.

According to prosecutors, Wang and others used encrypted WeChat group chats to receive instructions and pre-written propaganda articles from officials tied to the Chinese government.

One example outlined in court documents involved a June 2021 article denying allegations of genocide and forced labor involving Uyghurs in China’s Xinjiang region. Prosecutors allege a Chinese official distributed the article to Wang and others with instructions to publish it online.

Minutes later, Wang allegedly posted the article to her website and shared the link back with the government official. Court filings state the official responded, “So fast, thank you everyone.”

Federal prosecutors also allege Wang coordinated with John Chen, described in court documents as a high-level member of the Chinese intelligence apparatus who maintained ties to senior Chinese Communist Party officials and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Chen previously pleaded guilty in a separate federal case in New York involving acting as an illegal Chinese agent and conspiracy to bribe a public official.

In announcing the charges, federal officials said the case highlights ongoing concerns about foreign influence operations targeting American institutions and public officials.

“Individuals in our country who covertly do the bidding of foreign governments undermine our democracy,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli.

Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Eisenberg called the allegations “deeply concerning,” particularly because Wang now holds elected office while allegedly maintaining undisclosed ties to Chinese government officials.

FBI officials said the investigation reflects broader efforts to combat foreign influence campaigns and protect democratic institutions.

“By her own admission, Eileen Wang secretly served the interests of the Chinese government,” said FBI Assistant Director Roman Rozhavsky. “Individuals who act on behalf of foreign governments to influence our democracy will be identified, investigated, and brought to justice.”

According to the plea agreement, Wang admitted she failed to notify the U.S. Attorney General that she was acting as an agent of the Chinese government while operating inside the United States. Prosecutors also allege her website did not disclose that certain content had been published at the direction of Chinese officials.

Wang has resigned her official post and the Arcadia government will select a new mayor at their next scheduled meeting.

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