Eileen Wang, the former Mayor of Arcadia, admitted to acting as a spy on behalf of the People’s Republic of China in a federal plea deal.
Unsealed on Monday, the federal plea deal showed that Wang “agreed with prosecutors that she worked with the People’s Republic of China to boost propaganda with a fake news website on US soil between 2020 and 2022. She was elected to Arcadia City Council in November 2022,” per the New York Post:
Wang worked with her then fiancé, Yaoning “Mike” Sun, on a web site called “U.S. News Center,” which claimed to be news source for Chinese Americans, according to court documents.
Wang and Sun “executed directives” from the Chinese government, posting propaganda designed to boost China, all while reporting back to their masters with screenshots showing how many people viewed the stories, according to the plea agreement.
The plea deal further stated that Wang’s spymaster had ordered the website to publish an essay dismissing accusations of genocide and forced labor in the Xinjiang region
“There is no genocide in Xinjiang; there is no such thing as ‘forced labor’ in any production activity, including cotton production. Spreading such rumor is to defame China, destroy Xinjiang’s safety and stability,” the spymaster wrote, per the plea agreement.
When Wang followed through with the order, the master wrote back, “So fast, thank you everyone.”
Another admitted case had Wang replying, “Thank you leader,” when her boss complimented the number of page views on published propaganda.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the charges against Wang carry a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.
“The magistrate judge ordered a $25,000 bond and for her to surrender all of her passports and travel documents,” added the Times. ” Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda B. Elbogen asked that the judge order Wang to refrain from any communication with the Chinese government, including consular officials in the U.S.”
Wang’s attorney said that “she apologizes and is sorry for the mistakes she has made in her personal life.”
“Her love and devotion for the Arcadia community have not changed and did not waver. She asks for the community’s understanding and continued support,” her attorneys said.
Her attorneys also emphasized that the plea deal pertained to Wang’s private life and “not to her conduct as an elected public official.”
Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said, however, that Wang’s actions undermined American democracy.
“Individuals in our country who covertly do the bidding of foreign governments undermine our democracy,” Essayli said in a statement Monday. “This plea agreement is the latest success in our determination to defend the homeland against China’s efforts to corrupt our institutions.”
The City of Arcadia, a suburb of Los Angeles just east of Pasadena, said that Wang will be “vacating her position” as the Council prepares to select a replacement mayor.
“We understand this news raises serious concerns, and we want to be direct with our community about what we know and where we stand,” City Manager Dominic Lazzaretto said in a statement. “The allegations at the center of this case, that a foreign government sought to exert influence over a local elected official, are deeply troubling. We take them seriously.”
Yaoning “Mike” Sun had previously served as a campaign manager for Wang in her bid for Arcadia City Council. Prosecutors had accused him and “his Chinese government contacts of cultivating Wang in hopes that she would rise in politics and help them strengthen China’s influence in California,” per the Times.
“Sun was sentenced in February to four years in federal prison after pleading guilty in October 2025 to one count of acting as an illegal agent of a foreign government,” the report added.
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