California mayor resigns after admitting to being agent for China

The mayor of a Southern California city has announced her resignation after being charged with acting as an illegal agent for China.

The US Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on Monday (11 May) that Eileen Wang, 58, of Chino Hills, had pled guilty to the felony, which comes with a potential 10-year prison sentence.

Assistant attorney Bill Essayli confirmed the news in a statement that read: "Individuals in our country who covertly do the bidding of foreign governments undermine our democracy.

"This plea agreement is the latest success in our determination to defend the homeland against China’s efforts to corrupt our institutions."

Wang, who'd been elected to the city council of Arcadia in 2022, admitted in a plea agreement that she and her colleague, Yaoning 'Mike' Sun, 65, had both worked with the People's Republic of China (PRC).

It was found that Wang had been working for the People's Republic of China (PRC) (Getty Stock Images)

As illegal foreign agents, they'd promoted the Asian nation's interests through pro-PRC propaganda shared on their joint website, US News Centre, which had been purported to be a news source for the local Chinese American community.

More specifically, the DOJ allege that a PRC official had contacted Wang in 2021 through an encrypted WeChat conservation that included several news articles, including a Los Angeles Times essay that contained a number of controversial claims.

The essay stated: "China’s Stance on the Xinjiang Issue – There is no genocide in Xinjiang; there is no such thing as ‘forced labour’ 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[.]."

Wang shared the article on she and Sun's website within a matter of minutes. Responding, a PRC official told her: "So fast, thank you everyone."

The politician also admitted to communicating with a high-level PRC member and Xi Jinping's comrade, John Chen, the same year.

According to the DOJ, Wang asked Chen to post a 'news' story from her site, telling him: "This is what the Ministry of Foreign Affairs wants to send."

Wang could be sentenced to up to 10 years in prison (Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

Chen, also of Chino Hills, pleaded guilty to acting as an illegal agent for China and conspiracy to bribe a public official in 2025. He was sentenced to 20 months in federal prison.

Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A Eisenberg told the press: "Individuals elected to public office in the United States should act only for the people of the United States that they represent.

"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."

In a message shared after her plea deal was made public, Wang announced that she'd vacated her powerful position.

Her team have insisted, however, that the misconduct described by agents occurred prior to her election to the mayoral position.

"The allegations at the centre of this case, that a foreign government sought to exert influence over a local elected official, are deeply troubling," Arcadia city manager Dominic Lazzaretto later shared on the council's website. "We take them seriously."

He added: "We want to be clear: this investigation concerns individual conduct, and the charges are for conduct that ceased after Ms Wang was sworn into office in December 2022.

"Following an internal review, we can confirm that no City finances, staff, or decision-making processes were involved."

Lazzaretto simultaneously announced that a new mayor and mayor pro tem would be selected by the remaining council members at their next meeting.

Sun was arrested in 2024, after which he pleaded guilty to acting as an illegal foreign agent for China. He was sentenced to four years.