Southern California mayor resigns after being accused of acting as a Chinese agent
Southern California Mayor Eileen Wang resigned after agreeing to plead guilty to being an illegal agent of China, which could result in up to 10 years in prison.
A former Southern California mayor has pleaded guilty to acting as an illegal agent of the Chinese government, according to court proceedings reported by People and CNN on Friday.
Irene Wang pleaded guilty in federal court on Friday to secretly carrying out operations directed by Chinese authorities while involved in local politics.
The plea comes weeks after she was indicted on May 11 in the Central District of California. She resigned from her job with the city of Arcadia on the same day the incident was announced, officials said.
Wang entered a guilty plea in court and is scheduled to be sentenced on October 6th. She could be sentenced to up to 10 years in federal prison.
Guilty plea and co-defendant
Prosecutors say that from late 2020 to 2022, Wang worked with Yaoning “Mike” Sun to promote messages favorable to the People’s Republic of China.
Sun previously pleaded guilty to the same charges and is serving a four-year federal sentence, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Wang was released pending a bail ruling, CNN reported.
Authorities allege that Wang and Sun operated a website called “US News Center” that posed as a community news source for Chinese-American readers.
Federal prosecutors said the site featured pro-China content directed by government officials and that Wang used encrypted messages on WeChat to communicate with contacts in China.
In an example described in a court filing, Wang shared analytics showing that an article had been viewed more than 15,000 times. According to prosecutors, Chinese officials responded positively, and Wang responded by saying, “Thank you for your leadership.” Mr. Wang also reposted content provided by Chinese authorities, including content denying allegations of human rights abuses in Xinjiang.
Political influence and city response
After Wang’s resignation, Arcadia City Council moved quickly to reorganize its leadership and fill the vacancy at its May 19 meeting, according to a statement on City Hall’s Facebook page.
City Council members appointed Paul P. Chen, who previously served as mayor pro tem and has been a city council member since 2020, as mayor for the remainder of his term, which runs through December 2026. Mr. Chen represents the 4th district and took office after Mr. Wang left his seat in the 3rd district.
In his speech, Chen urged unity in the wake of the incident, telling residents, “To all the residents listening tonight, don’t let fear consume you, don’t let negativity divide you. Don’t let anyone make you believe Arcadia is broken. This city is full of good people, hard-working people, patriotic people, and caring people.”
Reporter Anthony Thompson can be reached at ajthompson@usatodayco.com or X @athompsonUSAT.
