Democratic California mayor admits to being a Chinese foreign agent
Former Arcadia Mayor Eileen Wang has agreed to plead guilty to acting as an illegal agent of the Chinese government, federal prosecutors announced Monday.
The admission places a sitting U.S. elected official at the center of a foreign influence case tied to undisclosed coordination with Beijing-linked officials. Wang, a Democrat who was elected in 2022, now faces up to 10 years in prison and has resigned from her post.
Federal prosecutors are moving forward with the case, while local officials assess the impact on the Southern California community.
Although there has been no official response from China, Beijing has previously described the charges as a witch hunt.
Newsweek has contacted the Chinese Embassy for comment.
Who Is Eileen Wang?
Wang, 58, is a Southern California politician who was elected to the Arcadia City Council in November 2022 and later became mayor through the body’s rotating leadership system.
In Arcadia, the mayor is selected from the five-member council, a structure that elevated Wang to the role after her initial election to public office.
A longtime resident, she became the first Chinese-American woman elected to the council, helping make it majority female for the first time. Before entering politics, Wang was active in local civic and business organizations, including the Arcadia Rotary Club and Chamber of Commerce, and served as president of the American Southwest Chamber of Commerce USA from 2018 to 2022.
She ran on a platform emphasizing community engagement and public safety and took part in local initiatives during her tenure, including organizing events and supporting victims following the 2023 Monterey Park mass shooting.
Wang resigned from the city council on Monday, stepping down as mayor following federal charges as the case proceeds.
Newsweek has reached out to the Arcadia City Council via email on Monday afternoon for comment.
What Prosecutors Say She Did
According to a Justice Department press release, Wang and Yaoning “Mike” Sun worked from late 2020 through 2022 at the direction of Chinese government officials to promote pro-Beijing messaging in the United States.
The DOJ said the pair operated a website called U.S. News Center that presented itself as a news outlet for the local Chinese American community while publishing content directed by officials from the People’s Republic of China.
In one example cited by prosecutors, a Chinese official sent Wang pre-written material via WeChat, including content denying human rights abuses in Xinjiang, which Wang quickly posted and shared back with the official. The DOJ said Wang also made edits at officials’ direction and reported engagement metrics.
The Justice Department further stated that Wang communicated with individuals tied to China’s intelligence apparatus and admitted she did not disclose her role as a foreign agent to U.S. authorities or inform readers that some content was published at the direction of Chinese officials.
Sun pleaded guilty in October 2025 to acting as an illegal agent of a foreign government.
FBI director Kash Patel posted on X, “Mayor Wang admitted to acting as a foreign agent from at least 2020 through 2022—promoting PRC propaganda in the U.S. and acting at PRC’s direction to promote their interests. She has agreed to resign from office and plead guilty. @FBI and our federal partners continue to move aggressively to root out this kind of influence in American institutions all over the country.”
Former Republican Congressman George Santos replied to Patel’s post on X, saying, “This is frightening, truly!” His post included an emoji of praying hands.
Federal Charges and Plea Agreement
Federal prosecutors charged Wang with one count of acting in the United States as an illegal agent of a foreign government, specifically the People’s Republic of China, according to the Justice Department.
In a related filing, Wang agreed to plead guilty to the felony charge, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison. Authorities said the allegation stems from her acting on behalf of Chinese government entities without notifying the U.S. attorney general, as required under federal law.
As part of her plea agreement, Wang admitted she did not disclose her relationship with Chinese officials to U.S. authorities and did not inform readers that some content on her website had been published at the direction of the PRC government.
She is expected to appear in federal court in Los Angeles in the coming weeks to formally enter her plea, prosecutors said.
The FBI is investigating the case, which is being prosecuted by the DOJ.
Broader Concerns About Foreign Influence
The case has drawn attention to foreign influence risks in local and state-level politics, where elected officials may have access to policy decisions and public platforms.
Justice Department officials said undisclosed ties to foreign governments can erode trust and potentially impact decision-making within U.S. institutions.
“Individuals elected to public office in the United States should act only for the people of the United States that they represent,” assistant Attorney General for national security John Eisenberg said.
The charges come amid broader federal efforts to counter alleged influence operations by China and other governments.
“By her own admission, Eileen Wang secretly served the interests of the Chinese government,” Roman Rozhavsky, said assistant director of the FBI’s counterintelligence and espionage division, said in a statement.
“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. Protecting the rule of law and the transparency of our democratic process remains at the core of the FBI’s mission, and we will continue working alongside our partners to safeguard the integrity of our elections and keep hostile actors from undermining the voices of the American people.”
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