The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a complaint last month charging Eileen Wang, who was then the mayor of Arcadia, CA, with one count of acting in the United States as an illegal agent of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) without notifying the Attorney General, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 951 (Section 951). Wang pleaded guilty to the charge on May 11 and resigned as mayor that day. According to the plea agreement, from 2020-2022, Wang was directed by PRC officials to promote PRC interests, including publishing pro-PRC propaganda, in the United States. This conduct allegedly occurred before Wang was elected to Arcadia City Council in 2022 and was subsequently chosen as mayor.
During the same period, the PRC was also controlling Yaoning “Mike” Sun, who worked alongside Wang. In 2025, Sun pleaded guilty to acting as an illegal agent of a foreign government and is now serving a four-year federal prison sentence.