California ex-mayor admits acting as agent of China, US authorities say

Ex-mayor of affluent Los Angeles suburb promoted pro-China propaganda astatine behest of Chinese officials, prosecutors say.

The erstwhile politician of a affluent suburb successful the United States metropolis of Los Angeles has admitted to acting arsenic an amerciable cause of China, according to authorities.

Eileen Wang, the former mayor of Arcadia, agreed to plead guilty to one count of acting as an illegal cause of a overseas government from precocious 2020 until 2022, the US Department of Justice said connected Monday.

Recommended Stories

• list 1 of 4Syria restores recognition paper payments successful effort to rejoin the planetary economy
• list 2 of 4Trump says helium volition suspend petrol taxation amid soaring US substance prices
• list 3 of 4Haiti’s PM casts uncertainty connected statesmanlike ballot by August arsenic pack clashes grow
• list 4 of 4Roads blocked successful Bolivia arsenic protesters request president’s resignation

Wang admitted that she did not notify the US authorities that she was acting connected behalf of China portion promoting pro-Beijing propaganda, the Justice Department said.

Wang, 58, operated a website, called the US News Center, that published contented supportive of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) portion purporting to supply quality for Chinese Americans, the section said.

Wang ran the tract with Yaoning Sun, a Californian antheral who was sentenced to 4 years successful situation aft pleading blameworthy to acting arsenic an amerciable cause of a overseas authorities successful October 2025, according to US prosecutors.

Wang’s activities included republishing a “PRC official-written essay” that denied allegations that the Chinese authorities was committing genocide against ethnic-minority Uighurs successful its far-western portion of Xinjiang, according to prosecutors.

Wang resigned arsenic politician connected Monday, according to a connection published connected the City of Arcadia’s website.

She faces a maximum punishment of 10 years successful prison.

Her lawyers, Brian A Sun and Jason Liang, said Wang wished to apologise for “mistakes she has made successful her idiosyncratic life”.

“It is important to note, however, that the behaviour underlying the accusation and the statement with the authorities relates solely to Ms. Wang’s idiosyncratic beingness – i.e., a media level that she erstwhile operated with idiosyncratic whom she believed to beryllium her fiancé – and not to her behaviour arsenic an elected nationalist official,” Sun and Liang said successful a statement.

“Her emotion and devotion for the Arcadia assemblage person not changed and did not waver,” they added.

“She asks for the community’s knowing and continued support.”

US Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A Eisenberg issued a connection expressing heavy interest implicit Wang’s activities.

“Individuals elected to nationalist bureau successful the United States should enactment lone for the radical of the United States that they represent,” helium said.

“It is profoundly concerning that idiosyncratic who antecedently received and executed directives from PRC authorities officials is present successful a presumption of nationalist spot astatine all, but peculiarly truthful due to the fact that that narration with that overseas authorities had ne'er been disclosed.”

China’s embassy successful Washington, DC, did not immediately respond to a petition for comment.

Wang’s prosecution comes arsenic US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are acceptable to conscionable successful Beijing connected Wednesday for a acme expected to absorption connected the US-Israel warfare connected Iran, trade, and the presumption of Taiwan, among different issues.

The acme comes aft the 2 leaders agreed to a yearlong intermission successful their commercialized warfare during a gathering successful South Korea past October.