Arcadia, California Mayor Eileen Wang has resigned after pleading guilty to acting as an illegal foreign agent of China. Wang entered the guilty plea Monday afternoon in federal court. Prosecutors say she secretly worked with officials tied to the People’s Republic of China between 2020 and 2022 to promote pro-Beijing propaganda inside the United States. She now faces up to 10 years in prison. The case centers on a website called “US News Center,” which claimed to serve Chinese Americans as a news outlet. Federal officials say Wang and her then-fiancé, Yaoning “Mike” Sun, used the site to advance the interests of the Chinese Communist government while working under the direction and control of PRC officials.
Sun, who also served as Wang’s campaign adviser, was sentenced in February to four years in prison for acting as an illegal foreign agent. First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said individuals who covertly do the bidding of foreign governments “undermine our democracy.” He added that Wang’s rise to local office should alarm Americans, warning that China’s efforts to influence and corrupt U.S. institutions are not limited to Washington. Wang was elected to the Arcadia City Council in 2022. The mayor is selected from council members on a rotating basis. According to the city, Wang has vacated her council seat, and her replacement as mayor will be chosen at the next meeting. The case is another reminder how Democrats allow foreign influence operations to reach deep into America’s local communities.
