(Minghui.org) The US Department of Justice announced on May 11, 2026, that Eileen Wang, the Chinese-American mayor of Arcadia, California, was charged by federal prosecutors with acting as a Chinese Communist Party (CCP) agent and she that she pleaded guilty.
According to information released by the Department of Justice, Eileen Wang, 58, is charged with one felony for acting “as an illegal agent of a foreign government,” which carries a maximum sentence of ten years in prison.
Wang’s close friend Yaoning “Mike” Sun was previously sentenced to 48 months in federal prison in February 2026 for acting as a CCP agent in the Los Angeles area to attack Falun Gong and interfere with local elections.
Interfering in Democratic Systems
The US Department of Justice, the FBI, and federal prosecutors stated that this case reflects the Chinese government’s continued attempts to influence US democratic institutions and local politics through proxies. Officials from the FBI’s counterintelligence division emphasized that anyone secretly representing a foreign government to influence the democratic process in the US will be investigated and prosecuted according to law.
“Individuals elected to public office in the United States should act only for the people of the United States that they represent,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg. “It is deeply concerning that someone who previously received and executed directives from PRC government officials is now in a position of public trust at all, but particularly so because that relationship with that foreign government had never been disclosed.
“Individuals in our country who covertly do the bidding of foreign governments undermine our democracy,” explained First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli. “This plea agreement is the latest success in our determination to defend the homeland against China’s efforts to corrupt our institutions.
“By her own admission, Eileen Wang secretly served the interests of the Chinese government,” said Assistant Director Roman Rozhavsky of the FBI’s Counterintelligence and Espionage Division. “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.”
Receiving Instructions From CCP Officials
The indictment documents show that from the end of 2020 to 2022, Wang worked with Sun who lived in Chino Hills, California, to promote pro-China propaganda in the United States under the direction and control of Chinese government officials.
The two jointly operated a website called US News Center, which claimed to be a news platform that served the Chinese-American community. Prosecutors pointed out that the website actually published pro-Beijing articles on multiple occasions at the request of CCP officials, and that Wang reported on their effectiveness to these officials.
The Ministry of Justice document cites several examples. In June 2021, a Chinese official sent Wang an article via WeChat concerning Xinjiang, which denied the existence of “genocide” and “forced labor” in Xinjiang. The article also claimed that such claims were “defam[e]ing China.”
Prosecutors stated that Wang reposted the article to her own website within minutes of receiving it and sent the link back to the Chinese official. The official replied, “So fast, thank you everyone.”
That August, Wang again revised the article as requested by the Chinese official and sent him a screenshot showing that the article had been read 15,128 times. The official replied, “Great!” to which Wang responded, “Thank you leader.”
The CCP’s United Front and Intelligence Systems
The investigation also revealed that Wang contacted John Chen in November 2021. Court documents state that Chen is a senior figure in the Chinese Communist Party’s intelligence system, has participated in numerous high-level CCP activities, and has met with Chinese top leader Xi Jinping.
Wang asked Chen Jun to help forward an article from her website, and left a message saying, “This is what the Ministry of Foreign Affairs wants to send.”
Chen pleaded guilty in 2024 to charges including acting as an illegal agent of China and bribing public officials in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. He was sentenced to 20 months in prison.
Sun, who was involved in the case along with Wang, was her campaign manager when she ran for city council. Prosecutors pointed out that the Chinese government long cultivated Wang, hoping that she would gradually rise in local politics within the United States, thereby expanding China’s political influence in California.
Sun pleaded guilty in October 2025 and was sentenced to four years in federal prison in February 2026.
Prosecutor documents state that Sun briefed senior Chinese officials on his work in the United States, including suppressing Falun Gong practitioners and opponents of Taiwan independence. He is also accused of monitoring the movements of the Taiwanese leader during a 2023 visit to the United States.
Court Orders Surrendering Passport and Travel Documents
According to US media reports, Wang made a brief appearance in the Los Angeles federal court on May 11, 2026. Accompanied by four lawyers, she participated in the hearing through a Mandarin interpreter. She repeatedly wiped away tears and appeared distressed.
The judge ordered her to post $25,000 bail and surrender all her passport and travel documents. Prosecutors also ordered her to refrain from contacting Chinese government officials, including Chinese consulate personel in the United States.
In a 2024 interview, Wang stated that she moved to Southern California from China 30 years ago, and that her parents were doctors in Sichuan, China.
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Category: News Commentary
