Eileen Wang, the former mayor of Arcadia, pleaded guilty to acting as an unregistered foreign agent for China on Monday, according to unsealed court documents.
Wang was elected to the city council of Arcadia, a suburb located northeast of downtown Los Angeles in California, in 2022. She was accused of promoting Chinese propaganda and government-directed content, and stepped down from her position after the case became public.
City Manager Dominic Lazzaretto said in a statement, “We can confirm that no city finances, staff, or decision-making processes were involved.”
Wang is reportedly facing a prison sentence of 10 years. The U.S attorney’s office in Los Angeles released a statement saying she would enter her plea in the following weeks. She pleaded guilty on Monday to acting as an unregistered agent of the People’s Republic of China.
The FBI accused Wang of operating a news website, where she allegedly posted Chinese propaganda as instructed by Beijing officials. The agency claimed she was involved in the practice from 2020 to 2022.
The FBI referenced a WeChat thread, showing the articles she received and the reactions from Chinese officials after posting them.
Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office Patrick Grandy told CBS News, “All Americans should be alarmed to learn an elected official was brazenly spreading propaganda on behalf of the Chinese government.”
“The FBI is dedicated to rooting out those illegally acting as agents of a foreign government as they do the bidding of America’s adversaries,” Grandy added.
Wang allegedly worked with her fiance at the time, Yaoning “Mike” Sun, who had pleaded guilty to the operation last October. The FBI reported he was currently serving four years in prison.
Wang’s attorneys, Brian A Sun and Jason Liang, told LA Times, “She apologises and is sorry for the mistakes she has made in her personal life. Her love and devotion for the Arcadia community have not changed and did not waver. She asks for the community’s understanding and continued support.”
FBI Director Kash Patel shared details of the case in an X post, “Arcadia Mayor Eileen Wang in California has been charged with acting as an illegal agent of the People’s Republic of China in the United States. Mayor Wang admitted to acting as a foreign agent from at least 2020 through 2022 – promoting PRC propaganda in the U.S. and acting at PRC’s direction to promote their interests. She has agreed to resign from office and plead guilty. FBI and our federal partners continue to move aggressively to root out this kind of influence in American institutions all over the country.”
