Arcadia Mayor Eileen Wang unexpectedly resigned after the U.S. Department of Justice announced criminal charges accusing her of illegally acting on behalf of China.
Wang, 58, agreed to plead guilty in the criminal case. The charge carries a maximum sentence of up to ten years in prison.
“Individuals who secretly carry out the directives of foreign governments inside our country undermine democratic institutions,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said. According to him, the plea agreement forms part of broader U.S. efforts to counter attempts by China to influence American government structures.
According to court documents, Wang and Yaoning “Mike” Sun, 65, of Chino Hills worked with Chinese authorities and promoted Beijing’s interests through publications on the website US News Center, which presented itself as a news platform for the Chinese-American community. The Justice Department alleges the site published propaganda narratives supportive of China.
Wang was elected to the city council in November 2022. She announced her resignation as mayor just hours after prosecutors released the plea agreement. Officials in Arcadia, a city of about 54,000 residents, told the Los Angeles Times that the actions described by federal authorities took place before she entered office.
Arcadia City Manager Dominic Lazzaretto described the allegations as “deeply troubling” in a statement published on the city’s website. At the same time, he stressed that the investigation concerns Wang’s personal actions and that such activity ceased after she took office in December 2022. According to him, an internal review found no evidence that city finances, employees, or decision-making processes were used to benefit a foreign government. A new mayor and deputy mayor will be selected from the remaining council members at the next meeting.
U.S. Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Eisenberg said American officials must act solely in the interests of the citizens they represent. He added that it is especially concerning that a person who had previously received instructions from representatives of the Chinese government later held elected office without publicly disclosing those ties.
As one example, the Justice Department cited messages exchanged in an encrypted WeChat group during the summer of 2021. Investigators say a Chinese official sent Wang and other participants prewritten materials for publication. Among them was a Los Angeles Times article authored by representatives of the Chinese government denying allegations of genocide against Uyghurs and the use of forced labor in Xinjiang.
According to prosecutors, Wang posted the article on US News Center within minutes and then sent the Chinese official a link to the publication. Other participants in the chat allegedly did the same. The official reportedly replied: “So fast, thank you everyone.”
Investigators also allege that in November 2021 Wang maintained contact with John Chen—a senior Chinese intelligence figure with direct access to Chinese President Xi Jinping. In one message, she allegedly asked him to distribute an article from her website and wrote: “This is what the Ministry of Foreign Affairs wants to convey.”
Chen, who lives in Chino, California, pleaded guilty in November 2024 to illegally acting on behalf of China and participating in a conspiracy to bribe a public official. He was sentenced to 20 months in federal prison.
Sun was arrested in December 2024. He also pleaded guilty to acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign government and in February was sentenced to four years in prison.