Wang Pleads Guilty to Acting as Unregistered Chinese Agent

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   Eileen Wang pleaded guilty to acting as an illegal agent of the Chinese government without notifying U.S. authorities.

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   Eileen Wang was elected to the Arcadia City Council in November 2022.

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   Eileen Wang served as mayor of Arcadia through the city’s rotating mayoral selection system.

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   Eileen Wang resigned from the Arcadia City Council and vacated her position as mayor after her federal charges were unsealed on May 11, 2026.

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   Eileen Wang was born in Chengdu, China, and immigrated to the U.S. in 1995.

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   Eileen Wang operated a website called 'U.S. News Center' with her then-fiancé Yaoning 'Mike' Sun, which published pro-Beijing content at the direction of Chinese government officials.

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   Eileen Wang posted pre-written articles supplied by Chinese government officials on her website without disclosing that the content was directed by the Chinese government.

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   Eileen Wang made edits to website content at the request of Chinese government officials and sent them screenshots showing article viewership metrics.

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   The conduct for which Eileen Wang was charged occurred between 2020 and 2022, before she was sworn into office in December 2022.

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    Eileen Wang’s sentencing is scheduled for October 6, 2026.

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    Eileen Wang faces a statutory maximum sentence of up to 10 years in federal prison for acting as an unregistered foreign agent.

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    Yaoning 'Mike' Sun, Eileen Wang’s former fiancé and 2022 campaign treasurer, pleaded guilty to acting as an illegal agent of the Chinese government and is serving a four-year prison sentence.

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    John Chen, who also pleaded guilty to acting as an illegal agent of the Chinese government, communicated with Sun and Wang about influencing local politicians and referred to Wang as a 'New Political Star.'

14. John Chen

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    In January 2023, John Chen messaged Eileen Wang: 'You are doing a good job, I hope you can continue the good work, make Chinese people proud.'

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    Eileen Wang told the court she understood she was pleading guilty to a felony and waived her right to a grand jury indictment and jury trial.

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    Eileen Wang appeared in federal court on May 29, 2026, and responded 'Yes, guilty' when asked how she pleaded.

17. Paul Cheng, acting Mayor

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    Acting Mayor Paul Cheng said: 'We cannot allow this moment to become an excuse for people to paint entire communities with one brush or weaponize ethnicity for political gain.'

18. Paul Cheng, acting Mayor

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    Paul Cheng, who came to the U.S. from Taiwan at age 2, said he has been told to 'go back to China' despite not being from China.

19. April Verlato, former City Council member

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    April Verlato, a former Arcadia City Council member, said Eileen Wang should have resigned as soon as she came under investigation.

20. April Verlato, former City Council member

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    April Verlato said: 'She was being selfish, getting sworn in as mayor and not resigning when she knew she was going to be pleading guilty to something.'

21. Gene Sun, lawyer

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    Gene Sun, a long-time lawyer in Arcadia, said: 'I don't understand how she could have continued being a City Council member.'

22. Ted Tseng

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    Ted Tseng, a resident of Arcadia who emigrated from Taiwan nearly 40 years ago, said: 'I'm just worried our image has been damaged.'

23. Aliza Mo

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    Aliza Mo, who emigrated from China six years ago, initially thought the headlines about Wang were exaggerated but later said: 'I think it would be improper for anyone to be doing something like that.'

24. Wei Li, professor of Asian Pacific American Studies

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    Wei Li, a professor of Asian Pacific American Studies at Arizona State University, said: 'A lot of countries, if they have the will and if they have the means, will try to influence their diaspora.'

25. Sharon Kwan, Councilwoman

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    Sharon Kwan, an Arcadia councilmember, said she previously tried to raise suspicions about Wang’s actions during city council meetings.

26. Sharon Kwan, Councilwoman

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    Sharon Kwan said: 'It's just very important to protect democracy here, and just to ensure that there's no foreign influence.'

27. Bill Essayli, First Assistant U.S. Attorney

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    First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said: 'Individuals in our country who covertly do the bidding of foreign governments undermine our democracy.'

28. Bill Essayli, First Assistant U.S. Attorney

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    Bill Essayli also said: 'This plea agreement is the latest success in our determination to defend the homeland against China’s efforts to corrupt our institutions.'

29. Roman Rozhavsky, Assistant Director, FBI Counterintelligence and Espionage Division

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    Assistant Director Roman Rozhavsky of the FBI’s Counterintelligence and Espionage Division said: 'By her own admission, Eileen Wang secretly served the interests of the Chinese government.'

30. Roman Rozhavsky, Assistant Director, FBI Counterintelligence and Espionage Division

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    Roman Rozhavsky also said: 'Let this serve as a clear warning: individuals who act on behalf of foreign governments to influence our democracy will be identified, investigated, and brought to justice.'

31. John A. Eisenberg, Assistant Attorney General for National Security

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    Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg said: 'Individuals elected to public office in the United States should act only for the people of the United States that they represent.'

32. John A. Eisenberg, Assistant Attorney General for National Security

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    John A. Eisenberg also said: 'It is deeply concerning that someone who previously received and executed directives from PRC government officials is now in a position of public trust at all.'

33. Relevance: supporting · Type: quote

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    A statement from Eileen Wang’s lawyers said: 'She apologizes and is sorry for the mistakes she has made in her personal life. Her love and devotion for the Arcadia community have not changed and did not waver.'

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    Eileen Wang has suggested she was misled by her former fiancé, Yaoning 'Mike' Sun.

35. Relevance: supporting · Type: quote

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    The city of Arcadia stated: 'This investigation concerns individual conduct, and the charges are for conduct that ceased after Ms. Wang was sworn into office in December 2022.'

36. Relevance: supporting · Type: background

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    Arcadia City Manager Dominic Lazzaretto said no city finances or staff were involved in Wang’s activities.

37. Relevance: supporting · Type: background

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    Arcadia's population is about 53,000 and is majority Asian.

38. Relevance: supporting · Type: background

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    The San Gabriel Valley is home to the largest concentration of residents of Chinese and Taiwanese descent in the United States.

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    In 2024, Arcadia elected the first all-Asian city council in the city's history.