Former California Mayor Pleads Guilty to Acting as Secret Agent for China

Eileen Wang, the former mayor of Arcadia, California, pleaded guilty Friday to acting as an illegal agent for the Chinese government within the United States. The plea comes after she was indicted on federal charges and subsequently resigned from her position on May 11.

Wang faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison for the charge. In her plea agreement, she admitted to working "under the direction and control of officials from the Government of the People's Republic of China." She also acknowledged helping to disseminate pro-China propaganda in the U.S. from late 2020 until 2022, the year she was elected to office.

Specifically, Wang collaborated with an associate to manage US News Center, a website presented as a news source for the Chinese-American community. The prosecution stated that both individuals "received and executed directives from officials of the Government of the People's Republic of China to publish content favorable to China on the website."

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli celebrated the plea as a victory, stating, "This guilty plea is the latest success in our determination to defend the homeland against China's attempts to corrupt our institutions." Wang, who served on the five-person Arcadia City Council, was elected to the council in November 2022.

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This guilty plea is the latest success in our determination to defend the homeland against China's attempts to corrupt our institutions.