Arcadia Mayor Eileen Wang has been charged in federal court with acting as an illegal agent of the Chinese government, according to the Department of Justice.
Prosecutors said Wang agreed to plead guilty to the felony charge, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. Authorities allege Wang worked with Yaoning “Mike” Sun between 2020 and 2022 under the direction of Chinese officials to distribute pro-Beijing propaganda in the United States through a Chinese-language news website they operated.
According to court filings, Wang posted articles supplied by Chinese officials defending Beijing’s policies in Xinjiang and coordinated edits and distribution with government contacts through WeChat. Prosecutors also said Wang communicated with Chinese intelligence-linked operative John Chen regarding propaganda efforts tied to China’s Foreign Ministry.
Federal officials said Wang never disclosed that she was acting on behalf of the People’s Republic of China while serving in public office.
