California mayor, 58, to plead guilty to acting as Chinese spy, apologises for mistakes in personal life

Eileen Wang, the mayor of Arcadia in California, has resigned after agreeing to plead guilty to acting as an illegal agent of the People’s Republic of China.

Wang, 58, was charged with one count of acting in the United States as an illegal agent of a foreign government, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) said in a statement on May 12.

The felony count carries a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison.

Resigned

Wang resigned from her position on Monday, after the charges were announced, Bloomberg reported.

Arcadia city manager Dominic Lazzaretto said that “no city finances, staff, or decision-making processes were involved”, adding that allegations of a foreign government seeking to exert influence over a local elected official are deeply troubling.

Wang moved from China to California about 30 years ago, according to The Times.

During a court hearing on Monday (May 11), she was seen wiping her eyes as she followed the proceedings through a Mandarin interpreter.

She was also ordered to surrender her passports.

Wang had been elected to the Arcadia City Council in November 2022, of which the mayor is selected on a rotating basis from the five-member council.

Ran fake news website with former fiancé

According to her plea agreement, Wang and Yaoning “Mike” Sun, 65, worked from late 2020 through 2022 at the direction and control of PRC government officials, the DOJ said.

The pair allegedly operated a website that purported to be a news source for the local Chinese-American community.

However, the DOJ added that Wang and Sun received and executed directives from PRC officials to post pro-PRC content on the site.

One example cited by prosecutors involved a June 2021 article denying genocide and forced labour in Xinjiang.

After a PRC official sent Wang and others pre-written articles over WeChat, Wang posted one of them on her website within minutes and replied with the link.

The official then responded: “So fast, thank you everyone.”

In another instance, Wang allegedly made edits to an article at a PRC official’s request, sent the official a link to the updated version, and shared a screenshot showing the article had been viewed 15,128 times.

When the official replied, “Great!”, to which Wang responded, “Thank you leader".

Former fiancé jailed for similar offence

Sun, Wang’s former fiancé, is also currently serving a four-year federal prison sentence after pleading guilty in October 2025 to acting as an illegal agent of a foreign government, the DOJ said.

In February 2026, Sun had subsequently been jailed for acting as an illegal agent for the Chinese government while working as a campaign adviser for a Los Angeles politician.

While Wang has confirmed their romantic relationship, she insisted that they had ended it eight months before he was charged.

“Secretly served the interests of the Chinese government”: FBI

🚨CASE UPDATE from @FBILosAngeles: Arcadia, California, Mayor Federally Charged with Acting as Illegal Agent of the People’s Republic of China

Eileen Wang has been charged in federal court with acting as an illegal agent of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). From late 2020… pic.twitter.com/xespi8DizV

— FBI (@FBI) May 11, 2026

Assistant Director Roman Rozhavsky of the FBI’s Counterintelligence and Espionage Division, as reported by Bloomberg, said:

“By her own admission, Eileen Wang secretly served the interests of the Chinese government.”

He added that individuals who act on behalf of foreign governments to influence American democracy “will be identified, investigated, and brought to justice”.

Wang’s lawyers, Brian Sun and Jason Liang, said that she recognised the seriousness of the charge and apologised for her conduct, according to The Times.

They added:

“Her love and devotion for the Arcadia community have not changed and did not waver. She asks for the community’s understanding and continued support."

Wang is expected to plead guilty in the coming weeks.