A Southern California mayor has resigned from his post after being indicted on charges of acting as an illegal foreign spy on behalf of the Chinese government, authorities announced.
Eileen Wang, 58, who has been the mayor of the Los Angeles County suburb of Arcadia since February, has agreed to plead guilty to one count of acting in the United States as an illegal agent of a foreign government, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California announced in a May 11 news release.
In his plea agreement, Wang admitted to collaborating with another Chino Hills man, Yaoning “Mike” Sun, 65, to promote “propaganda” favorable to the People’s Republic of China in the United States, the release said. Sun pleaded guilty to similar charges in October 2025 and is currently serving a four-year sentence.
“Individuals in our country who secretly follow the orders of foreign governments undermine our democracy,” said Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Esseri.
According to prosecutors, from late 2020 to 2022, the two operated a website called “US News Site” that purported to serve the region’s Chinese American community. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Wang and Sun posted content favorable to the Chinese government on the site at the direction of government operatives.
In June 2021, Chinese government officials used messaging platforms to contact Wang and others by offering pre-written articles in group chats, including an article published in the Los Angeles Times as a letter to the editor rejecting claims of genocide in the Xinjiang region. According to prosecutors, Wang posted the same article on his website.
In August 2021, Wang edited the article at the request of Chinese officials and sent a link with a screenshot that showed it had been viewed more than 15,000 times. “Great!” officials said in a message. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Wang responded, “Thank you for your leadership.”
John Chen, another person who contacted Wang, was also sentenced to 20 months in prison for acting as an unregistered agent and bribing Internal Revenue Service officials, prosecutors said.
“Individuals elected to public office in the United States should act only on behalf of the American people they represent,” said Assistant Attorney General John A. Eisenberg for National Security Affairs. “It is deeply concerning that someone who previously carried out orders from Chinese government officials is now in a position of complete public trust, especially since none of his ties to foreign governments have been disclosed.”
Arcadia City Manager Dominic Lazaretto said in a statement that Wang has resigned and the city will elect a new mayor at the next city council meeting. Mr. Wang was appointed as a city council member in December 2022. The mayor is elected on a rotating basis from the five-member City Council, with each councilor having the opportunity to serve for nine and a half months during a four-year term.
Arcadia, located approximately 15 miles northeast of downtown Los Angeles, is a city of approximately 54,000 people, with approximately 59% of the population being Asian American, according to the U.S. Census.
“To be clear, this investigation is about the conduct of individuals and the charges are for conduct that ceased after Mr. Wang was sworn into office in December 2022. An internal investigation confirms that the city’s finances, staff, and decision-making processes were not implicated,” Lazaretto said.
The City Council acts as a whole and “no single member has unilateral authority,” Lazaretto said. “As a result of these developments, no actions have been found that require reexamination or are invalidated,” he said.
Mr. Son, who lives in Chino Hills, has worked with Chinese authorities to organize a group that will, among other things, help promote candidates he calls “new political stars” into the Chinese government. The Los Angeles Times identified the candidate as Wang. Prosecutors previously said Son was the candidate’s city council campaign adviser and a “close personal friend.” According to Son’s plea agreement, after his election, he attended meetings of what he described as a team “dedicated to” China’s interests.
Wang is expected to plead guilty in the coming weeks, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. She could face up to 10 years in federal prison. It was unclear whether Mr. Wang had a lawyer who could comment on his behalf.
Contributor: Mark Ramirez
