The mayor of Arcadia, California, has agreed to plead guilty to charges of acting as an illegal agent of China, the US Department of Justice announced. Eileen Wang has resigned from her position and is expected to enter a guilty plea in federal court in Los Angeles in the coming weeks.
Charges and Allegations
Wang, 58, along with her then-fiance Yaoning 'Mike' Sun, 65, were charged with promoting pro-China propaganda in the United States at the behest of Chinese government officials, federal prosecutors said on Monday. Sun is currently serving a four-year prison term after pleading guilty in October last year.
Wang has agreed to plead guilty to a felony count that carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. She was elected to the Arcadia City Council in November 2022, a five-member body from which the mayor is selected on a rotating basis.
Statements from Officials
First Assistant US Attorney Bill Essayli for the Central District of California stated, "Individuals in our country who covertly do the bidding of foreign governments undermine our democracy." He added that the plea agreement is "the latest success in our determination to defend the homeland against China's efforts to corrupt our institutions."
FBI Assistant Director Roman Rozhavsky said, "By her own admission, Eileen Wang secretly served the interests of the Chinese government." He warned that "individuals who act on behalf of foreign governments to influence our democracy will be identified, investigated, and brought to justice."
Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg emphasized that "individuals elected to public office in the United States should act only for the people of the United States that they represent."
Details of the Plea Agreement
According to the plea agreement, from late 2020 through 2022, Wang and Sun worked under the direction and control of Chinese government officials to promote Beijing's interests. This included promoting pro-PRC propaganda in the United States through a website called US News Center, which purported to be a news source for the local Chinese American community.
The duo received and executed directives from Chinese officials to post pro-China content on the site. Wang admitted that she did not notify the US Attorney General that she was acting as an agent of China and failed to disclose on her website that some content was posted at the direction of Chinese government members.
