Eileen Wang, the Democrat mayor of Arcadia, California, resigned Monday and agreed to plead guilty to acting as an illegal agent of the Chinese government, federal prosecutors announced.
Wang, who became mayor earlier this year after serving on the city council since 2022, faces up to 10 years in federal prison. She stands accused of working at the direction of Chinese officials to promote propaganda about the People’s Republic of China in the United States.
Wang, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Central District of California, worked with a Chinese national, Yaoning “Mike” Sun, to operate a website called U.S. News Center. The site posed as a local news outlet for Chinese Americans in Arcadia.
At the direction of Chinese government officials, she received pre-written propaganda articles via WeChat—a super-app developed by the Chinese tech giant Tencent—and promptly posted them. Some of the propaganda posts included pieces denying forced labor and human rights abuses in China’s Xinjiang region.
These activities occurred between late 2020 and the end of 2022, including after she was elected to the Arcadia City Council, without her registering as a foreign agent as required by U.S. law.
“Individuals in our country who covertly do the bidding of foreign governments undermine our democracy,” First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli said. “This plea agreement is the latest success in our determination to defend the homeland against China’s efforts to corrupt our institutions.”
The mayor of Arcadia, Eileen Wang, 58, has been charged in federal court with acting as an illegal agent of the People’s Republic of China (PRC).
— FBI Los Angeles (@FBILosAngeles) May 11, 2026
Details: https://t.co/cwlxvm4N6x pic.twitter.com/0NHxiejF7X
READ MORE: That Thing That Never Happens Just Happened Again—Feds Charge Multiple Aliens With Illegally Voting
Wang claimed to have voted for Republican presidential candidates in the past, but supported Kamala Harris in the 2024 election. She officially became a Democrat in 2022 and bragged of being "the Arcadia City Council’s first female member from China, as well as its first Asian American Democrat."
“By her own admission, Eileen Wang secretly served the interests of the Chinese government,” Assistant Director Roman Rozhavsky of the FBI’s Counterintelligence and Espionage Division said. “Let this serve as a clear warning: Individuals who act on behalf of foreign governments to influence our democracy will be identified, investigated, and brought to justice."
Another Democrat-Linked CCP Infiltration Case
Her case emphasizes concerns about Beijing’s influence at the local level. It bears quite a few similarities to that of Linda Sun, the former top aide to New York Governors Andrew Cuomo (D) and Kathy Hochul (D).
Sun, also of Chinese descent, was accused of acting as an unregistered agent of the Chinese government, using her influential position to shape state policy, block Taiwanese officials from meetings, participating in a pandemic-era medical equipment kickback scheme, and coaching Hochul on pro-CCP talking points.
She even bragged to Chinese officials at one point that Hochul was “more obedient” than Cuomo and allegedly forged the governor's signature on flattering letters inviting dignitaries from China's Henan province to meet.
Like Wang, Sun allegedly pushed Beijing-friendly messaging while serving in an important public office without disclosing her foreign ties.
Sun's case ended in a mistrial in December, after the jury became hopelessly deadlocked following more than a week of deliberations. Prosecutors have stated they intend to retry the case “as soon as possible.” A tentative retrial date has been set for January 2027.
These cases highlight the Chinese Communist Party’s aggressive efforts to infiltrate American local and state governments. They likely will not be the last such instances.
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