California City Mayor Resigns After Allegations of Being Chinese Agent

Updated by Faith Barbara N Ruhinda at 1535 EAT on Tuesday 12 May 2026

Eileen Wang, 58, the mayor of Arcadia, has agreed to plead guilty to a felony charge, with the Arcadia City Council confirming she resigned from office on Monday.

Wang faces a potential sentence of up to 10 years in prison. Her attorneys, Jason Liang and Brian Sun, said in a statement that she “apologises and is sorry for the mistakes she has made in her personal life.”

First Assistant US Attorney Bill Essayli said the plea agreement reflects efforts to counter alleged foreign interference.

“This plea agreement is the latest success in our determination to defend the homeland against China’s efforts to corrupt our institutions,” Essayli said.
“Individuals in our country who covertly do the bidding of foreign governments undermine our democracy,” he added.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ), Wang allegedly worked alongside Yaoning “Mike” Sun, 65, to operate US News Center—a website that purported to serve as a news outlet for Chinese Americans in Arcadia.

Prosecutors say evidence cited in the case includes communications in which a Chinese government official sent Wang pre-written news articles via the encrypted messaging app WeChat. One of the articles reportedly denied allegations of forced labour and abuse in China’s Xinjiang region.

The DoJ alleges that shortly after receiving such material, Wang published it on US News Center and responded to the Chinese official via the same platform.

Reacting to the allegations, Arcadia City Manager Dominic Lazzaretto said on the city’s website: “The allegations at the centre of this case, that a foreign government sought to exert influence over a local elected official, are deeply troubling. We take them seriously.”

-BBC

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