Former Arcadia Mayor Eileen Wang agreed to plead guilty to a felony charge of acting as an illegal agent of the People’s Republic of China after federal prosecutors said she helped promote pro-China content online. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9]
Wang, 58, resigned as mayor after the plea deal was announced on Monday, according to prosecutors. They said the case involved a website called U.S. News Center that posted material favorable to Beijing. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9]
Prosecutors said Wang worked with Yaoning Sun, also known as Mike Sun, in the operation. Sun is serving a 4-year prison sentence for related conduct. The alleged activity ran from late 2020 through 2022, and prosecutors said it included reposting Chinese government material on Xinjiang within minutes of receiving it. A Chinese official was quoted saying, “So fast, thank you everyone,” while Wang replied, “Thank you leader.” [1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9]
Arcadia is a city in Southern California with about 50,000 to 55,000 residents. Wang was elected to the 5-member city council in November 2022, and the mayor is chosen on a rotating basis. [2, 3, 6, 7, 8]
Some reports said Wang’s conduct continued until the end of 2022, while others said it stopped before she took office in December 2022. Her lawyers called the matter “past personal mistakes” and said her “love and devotion for the Arcadia community have not changed and did not waver.” [1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 9]
Wang faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9]
