Arcadia Mayor Resigns After Pleading Guilty to Secretly Serving Chinese Interests

Eileen Wang, the mayor of Arcadia, California, has resigned and agreed to plead guilty to acting as an illegal agent of the Chinese government, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Wang, 58, is expected to enter her plea in a federal court in Los Angeles in the coming weeks. She faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison for the felony charge.

Wang and her then-fiancé, Yaoning “Mike” Sun, 65, were accused of promoting pro-China propaganda in the U.S. under the direction of Chinese government officials. Sun is already serving a four-year prison sentence after pleading guilty in October 2023. Wang was elected to the Arcadia City Council in November 2022, where the mayor is chosen on a rotating basis from among council members.

Federal prosecutors stated that from late 2020 through 2022, Wang and Sun operated a website called US News Center, which claimed to serve the local Chinese American community. However, the site was used to post pro-China content as directed by Chinese officials. Wang admitted she failed to register as a foreign agent with the U.S. Attorney General and did not disclose that some content was produced under Chinese government instruction.

U.S. officials emphasized that individuals who secretly serve foreign governments undermine American democracy. The FBI and Department of Justice warned that such actions will be investigated and prosecuted. They stressed that elected officials must act solely in the interest of the American people they represent.