Former California mayor pleads guilty to secretly working as foreign agent of China

The former mayor of Arcadia pleaded guilty Friday to acting as an illegal agent of China.

Eileen Wang, 56, was charged last month and agreed to plead guilty to accusations that she was directed by the Chinese government to promote propaganda in the United States between 2020 and 2022, according to court filings.

Wang was elected to the City Council in November 2022 and eventually assumed the job of mayor, a position that rotates among the council members. She stepped down as mayor hours after the plea agreement was unsealed earlier this month. Arcadia officials and Wang’s attorneys said the conduct described by federal authorities occurred before Wang took office.

Wang, who is out on a $25,000 bond, appeared in federal court in downtown Los Angeles to enter her plea. She faces up to 10 years in prison when she is sentenced Oct. 6.

During the hearing, Wang, who wore a black suit, spoke mostly to answer “yes” and “no” and to plead guilty. U.S. District Judge Wesley Hsu said that entering a guilty plea could prevent Wang from holding public office.

“Are you pleading guilty because you are guilty,” Hsu asked?

“Yes,” Wang said.

A judge previously ordered Wang to refrain from any communication with the Chinese government, including consular officials in the United States.

“Individuals in our country who covertly do the bidding of foreign governments undermine our democracy,” First Assistant U.S. Atty. Bill Essayli previously said in a statement. “This plea agreement is the latest success in our determination to defend the homeland against China’s efforts to corrupt our institutions.”

From late 2020 through at least 2022, Wang worked with Yaoning “Mike” Sun, her former fiance, to run a website called U.S. News Center that branded itself as a news source for Chinese Americans, according to her plea agreement. 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, Wang’s plea agreement says.

Sun also pleaded guilty to charges that accused him of secretly working for China and was sentenced this year to four years in prison.

On June 10, 2021, according to Wang’s plea agreement, she 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 due to the use of forced labor.

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 said Wang edited articles at the request of officials and shared information showing the reach of the posts.

“Thank you leader,” she wrote on Aug. 20, 2021, after being complimented for a post that was viewed more than 15,000 times, according to the plea agreement.

Wang never disclosed that the Chinese government had directed her to post the content, according to court documents.

Fury at city leaders for allowing Wang to remain mayor spilled out on May 19, when the City Council met for the first time since the former mayor’s plea deal became public.

“Man up and apologize to the residents of Arcadia for letting this happen,” said Tom Beck, a former Arcadia mayor, who argued Wang should have been forced out after the FBI raided her home.

“I would think that if you’re on the City Council and that happens, the lights start flashing red,” he said.

One after another, residents excoriated the three men on council — David Fu, Paul Cheng and Michael Cao — claiming the trio protected Wang, while ignoring the calls from Councilmember Sharon Kwan to have a public discussion about the criminal charges.

“How can your judgment be so profoundly compromised?” said resident Steve Rhee. “You guys lied to us. You pulled back the Asian community by 20 years. Shame on you.”

Dominic Lazzaretto, the city manager, emphasized that the council had no power to boot Wang unless she’d been convicted of a crime. They were kept in the dark about the entire investigation, he said.

None of the council members directly addressed the question of why they did not pressure Wang to resign as it became clear she was ensnared in her former fiance’s criminal case. Instead, they focused on the need to bring unity to a fractured city that was bracing for racist attacks.

“We will not surrender to fear,” said Cheng, who is now serving as the city’s mayor. “We will never allow the well in our town to be poisoned by outsiders.”