Arcadia, California mayor Eileen Wang quits after Chinese agent charge

Wang's lawyers said that 'she apologizes and is sorry for the mistakes she has made in her personal life'

Published May 12, 2026  •  Last updated 2 hours ago  •  3 minute read

Eileen Wang attends the Asian Hall of Fame 2023 induction ceremony at Biltmore Los Angeles on October 21, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Frazer Harrison /Getty Images

The mayor of Arcadia, Calif., has resigned after being charged with acting as an illegal foreign agent in China.

Article content

On Monday, the U.S. Department of Justice announced that 58-year-old Eileen Wang agreed to plead guilty to the felony. She could face up to 10 years in prison.

Article content

Article content

Wang’s lawyers, Jason Liang and Brian Sun, said in a statement that “she apologizes and is sorry for the mistakes she has made in her personal life,” as reported by BBC News.

The assistant U.S. attorney, Bill Essayli, said: “Individuals in our country who covertly do the bidding of foreign governments undermine our democracy.

“This plea agreement is the latest success in our determination to defend the homeland against China’s efforts to corrupt our institutions,” he added.

What is Wang accused of doing?

The now former Arcadia mayor is accused of following directions from Chinese officials, including sharing favourable articles about Beijing without informing the U.S. government, as required by law, the Justice Department said in a media release.

The DoJ said Wang and 65-year-old Yaoning “Mike” Sun, of Chino Hills, Calif., worked with the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to promote the country’s interest through a pro-China propaganda shared on a website they ran, U.S. News Center, which they called a news source for the Chinese-American community.

Article content

Article content

In one instance, the Justice Department said a PRC official contacted Wang in June 2021 via an encrypted WeChat conversation with pre-written news stories. This included an essay in the Los Angeles Times written by Chinese officials that stated there’s no genocide in the Xinjiang region, no forced labour in product production, and spreading rumours will destroy the region’s safety and stability, weaken its economy and suppress China’s development.

Within minutes of the conversation, Wang allegedly posted the story to the U.S. News Center website and responded to the Chinese official with an online link to it. Others involved in the chat did the same, with the official reportedly replying: “Sio fast, thank you everyone,” per The Guardian.

In November 2021, Wang allegedly talked with John Chen, a PRC intelligence member who had direct contact to Chinese president Xi Jinping. Wang allegedly asked Chen to post a news story from her website, stating: “This is what the Ministry of Foreign Affairs wants to send.”

Article content

In November 2024, Chen pleaded guilty to acting as an illegal agent of China and conspiracy to bribe a public official. He received a 20-month federal prison sentence.

Sun was arrested in December 2024 and pleaded guilty to acting as an illegal agent of a foreign country. He was sentenced to four years in federal prison in February.

Position vacated hours after plea deal

Wang announced she was resigning as mayor — a position she had held since November 2022 — hours after the plea deal was unsealed, The Guardian reported. Arcadia officials told the Los Angeles Times that Wang’s alleged conduct happened before she was elected.

In a message posted on the city of Arcadia’s website, city manager Dominic Lazzaretto said, “The allegations at the centre of this case, that a foreign government sought to exert influence over a local elected official, are deeply troubling.”

“We take them seriously,” Lazzaretto said.

“We want to be clear: this investigation concerns individual conduct, and the charges are for conduct that ceased after Ms. Wang was sworn into office in December 2022. Following an internal review, we can confirm that no City finances, staff, or decision-making processes were involved.”

A new mayor and acting mayor will be chosen at the next Arcadia city council meeting.

Article content