Former Arcadia Mayor Pleads Guilty to Acting as Illegal Agent for China in Federal Case

According to a New York Post report, a former California mayor has admitted she secretly worked on behalf of Communist China while climbing the political ladder in Los Angeles.

Eileen Wang resigned after pleading guilty Monday to acting as an illegal foreign agent of the People’s Republic of China, according to a federal plea agreement unsealed in downtown Los Angeles.

Federal prosecutors say Wang helped Beijing spread propaganda inside the United States through a fake Chinese-American news outlet while later winning elected office in Southern California.

The bombshell case centers around a website called “U.S. News Center,” which prosecutors say was controlled behind the scenes by Chinese government officials.

Between 2020 and 2022, Wang and her then-fiancé, Yaoning Sun, allegedly carried out directives from Chinese handlers by publishing propaganda favorable to Beijing and reporting back with screenshots showing audience engagement and page views.

One directive cited in the plea deal involved a Chinese government-written article denying allegations of genocide and forced labor against Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang.

“There is no genocide in Xinjiang,” Wang’s handler allegedly wrote before ordering the article posted online.

Prosecutors say Wang complied almost immediately.

“So fast, thank you everyone,” the handler allegedly responded after the article went live.

In another exchange included in court filings, Wang reportedly replied to one of her Chinese contacts with the phrase: “Thank you leader.”

The case is raising fresh alarm bells about foreign influence efforts targeting American politics at the local level.

Wang was elected to the Arcadia City Council in November 2022 and later became mayor of the affluent San Gabriel Valley city in Los Angeles County.

U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli warned that Wang’s rise in local government should concern Americans.

“Ms. Wang is just the latest to act as an agent for the PRC and it should terrify Americans that she was able to rise to the highest levels of local office in her city,” Essayli said.

Federal prosecutors say the operation was not just about online propaganda. They allege Chinese officials viewed Wang as a promising political figure who could eventually help advance Beijing’s interests in California politics.

Sun, who managed Wang’s city council campaign, was already sentenced in February to four years in federal prison after being convicted of acting as a covert Chinese agent.

Assistant Attorney General John A. Eisenberg said Sun spent years carrying out assignments for Chinese officials while attempting to shape public discourse inside the United States.

“For years, Sun received and executed taskings from Chinese government officials, distorted our public discourse by disseminating Chinese propaganda, and surveilled groups in the United States that China viewed as threatening,” Eisenberg said.

Wang previously attempted to distance herself from Sun after the federal investigation became public in 2024, insisting at the time she was “not responsible for the action of others” and refusing calls to resign from office.

More over at The New York Post:

Arcadia mayor Eileen Wang admits acting as foreign agent for China in plea deal https://t.co/MfIfz7I4AZ pic.twitter.com/M9XTs8NYz5

— New York Post (@nypost) May 11, 2026