What we know about Eileen Wang, former Southern California mayor accused of being Chinese foreign agent

Los Angeles Times on May 12, 2026

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

LOS ANGELES — Eileen Wang emerged as an up-and-coming community leader in the San Gabriel Valley several years ago.

She won the endorsement of prominent political figures and was elected to a seat on the Arcadia City Council. In a 2024 interview with the Los Angeles Times, Wang said she moved to Southern California from China 30 years ago.

Her mother was a Chinese medicine and acupuncture doctor, and her father was a physician in Sichuan province before working at the University of Southern California, she said. She said she was drawn to Arcadia by the good schools for her sons and her desire to make a difference in the community.

This week, unsealed documents show she’s been charged with acting as an illegal foreign agent of China.

Wang resigned from the City Council on Monday after reaching an agreement to resolve the federal case.

Here is a rundown of what we know:

What are federal prosecutors alleging?

From late 2020 through at least 2022, Wang worked with Yaoning “Mike” Sun, her former fiance, running a website called U.S. News Center that branded itself as a news source for Chinese Americans, according to the plea agreement unsealed Monday. Both Wang and Sun “executed directives” from Chinese government officials, posting requested articles and reporting back with screenshots showing how many people viewed the stories, the agreement says.

On June 10, 2021, the agreement says, Wang received a message from a government official about “China’s Stance on the Xinjiang Issue,” which included a link to a letter to the editor in the Los Angeles Times from the consul general of the People’s Republic of China in Los Angeles. The consul general had been responding to a Times editorial supporting a boycott of products made with cotton produced in the Xinjiang region of China.

At the time, news reports were highlighting the Chinese government‘s campaign of incarceration, persecution and “reeducation” of Uyghurs in the Xinjiang province.

“There is no genocide in Xinjiang; there is no such thing as ‘forced labor’ in any production activity, including cotton production. Spreading such rumor is to defame China, destroy Xinjiang’s safety and stability,” read the message from the Chinese government official, according to the plea agreement.

Minutes after receiving the link, Wang posted the article on her website and responded to the Chinese government official with a link to the article on her website, according to the court filing.

“So fast, thank you everyone,” the government official responded, the court records show.

Prosecutors also say Wang edited articles at the request of officials and shared information showing the reach of the posts.

What are her attorneys saying?

In a statement, Wang’s attorneys, Brian A. Sun and Jason Liang, said “that the conduct underlying the information and the agreement with the government relates solely to Ms. Wang’s personal life — i.e., a media platform that she once operated with someone whom she believed to be her fiancé — and not to her conduct as an elected public official.”

“She apologizes and is sorry for the mistakes she has made in her personal life,” the statement added. “Her love and devotion for the Arcadia community have not changed and did not waver. She asks for the community’s understanding and continued support.”

What about Sun?

Prosecutors charged Sun, a resident of Chino Hills, in December 2024 with conspiracy and acting as an illegal agent of a foreign government. Wang said her relationship with Sun ended in the spring of 2024.

Sun was sentenced in February to four years in federal prison after pleading guilty in October 2025 to one count of acting as an illegal agent of a foreign government.

Sun worked as an illegal agent for the People’s Republic of China, submitting reports to high-level government officials about work he was doing on the government’s behalf, according to a federal sentencing memorandum. This activity included combating Falun Gong, a spiritual practice banned in China, and supporters of Taiwanese independence. Sun also was accused of monitoring the then-president of Taiwan during her April 2023 trip to the U.S.

What’s next?

A magistrate judge ordered a $25,000 bond for Wang, and she was ordered to surrender her passport and travel documents. Wang must also refrain from any communication with the Chinese government, including consular officials in the U.S.

A hearing has not yet been scheduled for Wang to enter a guilty plea. Once she does, she faces up to 10 years in prison.

The Arcadia city government announced that next week it would select a mayor and mayor pro tem from among the remaining council members.

_____