Mayor of California city resigns over charges of being a foreign agent of China | US news
Eileen Wang, the mayor of the Southern California city, resigned abruptly on Monday after the U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) announced that she had been charged with acting as an illegal foreign agent of China.
Wang, 58, agreed to plead guilty to felony charges and could face up to 10 years in prison.
“Individuals in our country who secretly carry out the orders of foreign governments are undermining our democracy,” said assistant US attorney Bill Essayli. “This defense agreement is the latest achievement in our determination to defend our homeland against China’s efforts to corrupt our institutions.”
According to the plea agreement, Wang and Yaoning “Mike” Sun, 65, of Chino Hills, worked with the People’s Republic of China to promote the country’s interests through pro-PRC propaganda published on a website called U.S. News Center, which bills itself as a news source for the local Chinese American community. Ministry of Justice in question.
Wang, who was elected to the city council in November 2022, announced that he was stepping down as mayor hours after the plea agreement was signed. Officials in Arcadia, Los Angeles’ county city of about 54,000, told the Los Angeles Times that the behavior described by federal officials occurred before Wang’s election.
A message from Arcadia city manager Dominic Lazzaretto was posted on the city’s website. “The allegations at the center of this case that a foreign government sought to exert influence over a locally elected official are deeply troubling. We take them seriously.
“We want to be clear: This investigation is about individual conduct, and the charges relate to conduct that ended after Ms. Wang took office in December 2022. Following an internal review, we can confirm that no City finances, personnel, or decision-making processes were involved,” Lazzaretto’s statement said. He said the city council will elect a mayor and mayor from among the remaining council members at its next meeting.
“Persons elected to public office in the United States must act only on behalf of the American people they represent,” said John A. Eisenberg, assistant attorney general for national security. “It is deeply concerning that someone who previously received and implemented directives from PRC government officials is now in a position of public trust, especially since his relationship with this foreign government has never been disclosed.”
In one example of Wang’s actions cited by the Justice Department, a PRC official contacted Wang and others in an encrypted WeChat conversation in June 2021 that contained pre-written news articles. Among the stories was an article in the Los Angeles Times written by PRC officials that stated: “China’s Stand on the Xinjiang Issue – There is no genocide in Xinjiang; there is no such thing as ‘forced labor’ in any manufacturing activity, including cotton production. Spreading such rumors to denigrate China, destroy the security and stability of Xinjiang, weaken the local economy, suppress China’s development.”[.]”
Within minutes, Wang posted the article on US Newsroom and responded to the PRC official with a link to the article on his website. Others in the group chat did the same. The PRC official responded: “Very quickly, thank you everyone.”
In November 2021, Wang also communicated with John Chen, a high-ranking member of the People’s Republic of China intelligence who has direct ties to Chinese President Xi Jinping. Wang asked Chen to post a “news” article on his website, writing: “This is what the Ministry of Foreign Affairs wants to post.”
Chen, of Chino, California, pleaded guilty in November 2024 to acting as an unlawful agent of China and conspiracy to bribe a public official and was sentenced to 20 months in federal prison.
Sun was arrested in December 2024 and pleaded guilty to acting as an unlawful agent of a foreign country. he was prisoner He faces up to four years in federal prison in February.
