California mayor allegedly acted as covert agent for China, and she has agreed to plead guilty

The mayor of Arcadia, California, Eileen Wang, abruptly resigned on Monday following the announcement that she has been charged with acting as a covert foreign agent for the People’s Republic of China, The Hill reported. This is a massive development for the local community, as Wang had been serving in a position of public trust while allegedly taking direct orders from foreign government officials.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Wang has already agreed to plead guilty to a single felony count. This charge carries a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison, marking a significant end to her time in office.

The details surrounding this case are quite extensive, revealing a coordinated effort to spread pro-China propaganda within the United States. Between late 2020 and 2022, Wang reportedly worked alongside an associate, 65-year-old Yaoning “Mike” Sun of Chino Hills, to further the interests of the Chinese government. The pair utilized a platform called the U.S. News Center, which was presented to the public as a legitimate news source for Southern California’s Chinese American community. In reality, the DOJ states that the website served as a vehicle for content directed by the Chinese government.

Sun has already faced consequences for his role, having pleaded guilty in October 2025 and receiving a four-year federal prison sentence

The operational details of how this propaganda was disseminated are particularly striking. Federal prosecutors outlined an instance from June 2021 where Chinese officials used encrypted WeChat messages to send prewritten articles to Wang and her associates.

One specific essay, which was drafted to be published in the Los Angeles Times, contained the following text: “There is no genocide in Xinjiang; there is no such thing as ‘forced labor’ in any production activity, including cotton production. Spreading such rumor to do defame China, destroy Xinjiang’s safety and stability, weaken local economy, suppress China’s development.”

Within minutes of receiving this content, Wang reportedly posted the article on her own website and sent a link back to the Chinese official. Other members of the group chat followed suit, and the official responded by saying, “So fast, thank you everyone.”

This pattern continued in August 2021, when Wang and three others shared links to the same article on their respective websites. On that occasion, Wang even made edits to the content at the official’s request and provided a screenshot showing that the article had been viewed 15,128 times. The official responded with “Great!,” to which Wang replied, “Thank you leader.”

The reach of these operations extended into high-level connections as well. In November 2021, Wang coordinated propaganda efforts with John Chen, who was described by prosecutors as a member of the Chinese intelligence apparatus. Court documents indicate that Chen had a direct line to Chinese President Xi Jinping and regularly attended elite Chinese Communist Party functions.

Wang reportedly asked Chen to post an article from her website, noting, “This is what the Ministry of Foreign Affairs wants to send.” Chen was previously sentenced in November 2024 to 20 months in federal prison for his involvement in acting as an illegal agent and conspiring to bribe a public official.

Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg emphasized the severity of the situation, stating, “Individuals elected to public office in the United States should act only for the people of the United States that they represent.” He added, “It is deeply concerning that someone who previously received and executed directives from PRC government officials is now in a position of public trust at all, but particularly so because that relationship with that foreign government had never been disclosed.”

Wang, who was 58 at the time of the charges, was elected to the Arcadia City Council in November 2022. Her background prior to her election included service on the Parent Teacher Association for Camino Grove Elementary School and as president of the American Southwest Chamber of Commerce USA.

The city of Arcadia issued a statement on Monday clarifying that their internal review found no involvement of city finances, staff, or decision-making processes in these activities. City officials indicated that the council will soon begin the process of replacing Wang, who represented the 3rd District, until the November 2026 election.

As of Monday afternoon, Wang’s official biography page remained online, highlighting her history as “the daughter of proud immigrants who came to California seeking their American Dream.” She was expected to make her first appearance in United States District Court in downtown Los Angeles on Monday afternoon, with a formal guilty plea anticipated in the coming weeks.