Arcadia mayor strikes plea deal, resigns over Chinese agent charges

Key Points:

• Eileen Wang, former mayor and City Council member of Arcadia, resigned after entering a plea agreement on charges of acting as an illegal foreign agent for China, promoting propaganda in the U.S. from 2020 to 2022.
• Federal prosecutors allege Wang worked with her former fiancé, Yaoning “Mike” Sun, to run a website disseminating Chinese government-directed content, including denying human rights abuses in Xinjiang, without disclosing the foreign influence.
• Wang faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, was ordered to surrender her passports, and is prohibited from communicating with Chinese government officials as part of her bond conditions.
• Sun, who managed Wang’s City Council campaign and was also charged with acting as an illegal agent, was sentenced to four years in federal prison after pleading guilty; prosecutors claim the pair were cultivated to strengthen China’s influence in California politics.
• Arcadia city officials stated the alleged foreign influence occurred before Wang’s election and confirmed no city resources or decision-making were compromised, with an internal review finding no wrongdoing within city operations.