Arcadia Mayor Resigns, Agrees to Plead Guilty to Acting as Agent of China

The mayor of the Los Angeles-area city of Arcadia resigned and agreed to plead guilty to one count of acting as an agent of the People’s Republic of China without notifying the U.S. attorney general, according to court filings unsealed Monday. Eileen Wang, who was elected to the Arcadia City Council in 2022 and became mayor earlier this year, appeared in federal court in Los Angeles.

She was released on $25,000 bond. Prosecutors said she is expected to formally enter the guilty plea in the coming weeks.

According to the plea agreement, Wang admitted she worked with Yaoning “Mike” Sun from late 2020 through at least 2022 to operate a website called U.S. News Center. The site presented itself as a news source for Chinese Americans. Court documents state the pair received and executed directives from Chinese government officials to post specific content and report back on viewership numbers.

” The piece, which also ran in the Los Angeles Times, disputed claims of genocide or forced labor in Xinjiang and described such reports as rumors intended to defame China. Wang posted the article within minutes and received thanks from the official, prosecutors said.

On another occasion she replied “Thank you leader” after an official complimented a post that received more than 15,000 views. The filings state she sometimes sought permission before publishing and edited articles at the request of Chinese officials.

Wang’s attorneys said the conduct was limited to a media platform she once operated with someone she believed to be her fiancé and did not involve the city of Arcadia. They described the activity as mistakes made in her personal life and said her devotion to the Arcadia community had not wavered.

The city of Arcadia announced Wang’s resignation on its website Monday. The City Council will select a new mayor at its next meeting. Arcadia has a population of about 56,000 and is located in the San Gabriel Valley roughly 13 miles northeast of downtown Los Angeles.

Census data shows roughly 59 percent of residents identify as Asian.

The charge carries a statutory maximum of 10 years in federal prison. Under the terms of the plea agreement, prosecutors will recommend reductions in the sentencing guidelines, though a judge will make the final determination. The charging documents and plea agreement were filed April 1 and unsealed Monday.

Sun pleaded guilty in October to one count of acting as a foreign agent and is serving a four-year prison sentence. A high-level Chinese government official identified in the case as John Chen was sentenced to 20 months in prison in November 2024 after pleading guilty to bribery and acting as an unregistered agent of China.

Wang’s plea agreement states she admits she did not notify the U.S. attorney general as required while acting as an agent of China and did not disclose on the website that some content was directed by Chinese officials. The case is part of a series of prosecutions targeting covert influence operations.

Sun’s four-year sentence and Chen’s earlier conviction were cited by prosecutors as related elements of the same network.