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Former Arcadia Mayor Pleads Guilty to Acting as Unregistered Foreign Agent for China

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Former Arcadia Mayor Eileen Wang Pleads Guilty to Acting as Illegal Agent of China

Eileen Wang, a former mayor and current city council member of Arcadia, California, has pleaded guilty to one count of acting as an illegal agent of the People's Republic of China.

The plea agreement, filed in federal court, was unsealed on March 3, 2025. Wang resigned from her mayoral position on the same day the agreement became public.

Charges and Court Proceedings

Wang appeared in federal court in downtown Los Angeles, accompanied by four lawyers, with proceedings interpreted in Mandarin. A magistrate judge ordered a $25,000 bond and required the surrender of all passports and travel documents.

Prosecutors requested that Wang be prohibited from communicating with the Chinese government, including consular officials.

Wang pleaded guilty to violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) by posting and editing web content at the direction of Chinese government officials without disclosing the relationship. Sentencing is pending; the maximum penalty is 10 years in prison.

Conduct Described in Plea Agreement

According to court documents, Wang worked with her former fiancé, Yaoning "Mike" Sun, to operate a website called "U.S. News Center" from late 2020 through at least 2022. The website targeted Chinese American audiences.

Prosecutors allege that both Wang and Sun followed directives from Chinese government officials to post articles and report viewership metrics. Specific examples cited in court documents include:

  • On June 10, 2021, Wang received a link and message about China's stance on Xinjiang. She posted the article within minutes and reported back with a link.
  • In one instance, a PRC official asked Wang to omit a company name from a story, which she did.
  • Wang shared reach data with officials and, after being complimented for a post with over 15,000 views, wrote "Thank you leader."
  • Wang never disclosed that the content was directed by the Chinese government.

Related Individuals

  • Yaoning "Mike" Sun: Wang's former fiancé and campaign advisor. Sun was charged in December 2024, pleaded guilty in October 2023, and was sentenced in February 2025 to four years in prison. Sun also acted as an illegal agent, including combating Falun Gong and monitoring the former president of Taiwan during a 2023 U.S. visit. Sun was listed as treasurer for Wang's 2022 election campaign.

  • John Chen: Described by prosecutors as a high-level member of the PRC intelligence apparatus. Chen pleaded guilty to being a Chinese agent and was sentenced to 20 months in prison.

Wang stated her relationship with Sun ended in spring 2024.

Official Statements

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli: "Individuals in our country who covertly do the bidding of foreign governments undermine our democracy."

Wang's attorneys, Brian A. Sun and Jason Liang: Wang "apologizes and is sorry for the mistakes she has made in her personal life." They stated that she was misled by "someone who she believed to be her fiance" into acting on behalf of the PRC, and stressed that the conduct related to her personal life, not her role as an elected official.

City Manager Dominic Lazzaretto: The city conducted an internal review in December 2024 after Sun's arrest and found no evidence of interference with city finances, staff, or decision-making processes. The process to select a new mayor will begin at the next council meeting.

Arcadia City Council member Sharon Kwan: "There were red flags everywhere."

Former Arcadia mayor April Verlato: "The warning signs around Eileen Wang were public for more than a year… and too many people in positions of influence defended and supported her."

Mayor Pro Tem Paul Cheng: The council did not act earlier because they wanted to allow the federal investigation to run its course, stating, "Council members are not federal investigators."

Arcadia Deputy City Manager Justine Bruno: The city council learned the full extent of charges on Monday and acknowledged the unsettling nature of the news for residents.

Background

Eileen Wang moved to Southern California from China 30 years ago. She is a naturalized U.S. citizen. Wang was elected to the Arcadia City Council in November 2022 and became mayor earlier in 2025. The activities described in the plea agreement occurred before she took office in December 2022.

Arcadia has a population of approximately 55,000, with an Asian-majority population of about 59% as of 2024. Over 46% of residents are foreign-born.

Context

Experts cited in court documents note that China has been increasing efforts to leverage the Chinese diaspora to influence U.S. opinions and promote pro-Beijing politicians at state and local levels. This case is one of several recent instances of local U.S. officials being charged with acting as agents of China.

Other examples include a former New York state employee charged in 2024 and a San Francisco staffer for former Senator Dianne Feinstein reportedly targeted by Chinese intelligence in 2018.

Dennis Wilder, a former senior U.S. intelligence official, described Wang as "an agent of influence," noting that while her activities are a FARA violation, they do not constitute traditional espionage.