ChinaProbe – California Mayor Resigns Amid Foreign Agent Guilty Plea
ChinaProbe – A Southern California city official has stepped down after agreeing to plead guilty in a federal case tied to allegations of working on behalf of the Chinese government without proper disclosure to U.S. authorities.
Federal prosecutors said Eileen Wang, the mayor of Arcadia, accepted responsibility for acting as an unregistered foreign agent and is expected to formally enter her guilty plea in federal court in Los Angeles in the coming weeks. Authorities stated that the charge carries a maximum prison sentence of 10 years.
Resignation Follows Federal Investigation
Wang, 58, resigned from her role in Arcadia shortly after details of the plea agreement became public. She had been elected to the city council in November 2022 and later became mayor through the council’s rotating leadership system.
City officials stressed that the federal investigation did not involve misuse of municipal resources or public funds. Arcadia City Manager Dominic Lazzaretto said the allegations relate to conduct that occurred before Wang officially began serving in office in December 2022.
According to prosecutors, Wang promoted content favorable to the Chinese government while allegedly working under the direction of officials connected to the People’s Republic of China. Investigators said she did not notify the U.S. government about those activities, which is required under federal law for individuals acting on behalf of foreign governments.
Online Media Platform Under Scrutiny
Court documents show Wang and associate Yaoning “Mike” Sun operated a Chinese-language news website called U.S. News Center that targeted Chinese American readers in the United States.
Federal officials alleged that Chinese government representatives directed the pair to publish material supporting Beijing’s political interests. One example cited by investigators involved a 2021 opinion piece written by the Chinese consul general in Los Angeles and published in the Los Angeles Times.
The article disputed international reports accusing China of human rights abuses against Uyghurs in the Xinjiang region, including allegations of forced labor and mass persecution. Prosecutors said Wang reposted the article on the news platform shortly after receiving it from a Chinese official.
The United States and several allied governments have previously described China’s treatment of Uyghurs as crimes against humanity and genocide, accusations Beijing has repeatedly denied.
Associate Already Serving Prison Sentence
Sun, who prosecutors identified as Wang’s former colleague and fiancé at the time, previously pleaded guilty to the same federal offense. He is currently serving a four-year prison sentence after entering his plea in 2024.
Campaign finance records also listed Sun as treasurer for Wang’s city council campaign during the 2022 election cycle.
In a statement released through attorneys Jason Liang and Brian Sun, Wang acknowledged the seriousness of the case and accepted responsibility for what her legal team described as “personal mistakes.”
Her lawyers also said Wang’s relationship with Sun ended in spring 2024. The statement suggested she had been influenced by “the wrong person,” while emphasizing that her commitment to the Arcadia community remained unchanged throughout her time in public service.
Broader Federal Concerns Over Foreign Influence
Investigators further revealed that Wang had communicated with another individual, John Chen, who was separately convicted in a foreign agent case connected to the Chinese government. Chen previously received a 20-month federal prison sentence after pleading guilty.
The case reflects growing concerns among U.S. officials over alleged foreign influence operations aimed at local communities and political networks across the country. Federal agencies have increasingly focused on cases involving undisclosed lobbying, media influence efforts, and political outreach linked to foreign governments.
Arcadia, located northeast of downtown Los Angeles, has a population of roughly 53,000 residents and a large Asian American community, including many families of Chinese heritage.