Eileen Wang, the former mayor of Arcadia, California, pleaded guilty on May 30, 2026, to one count of acting as an illegal agent of the Chinese government within the United States. Wang appeared in federal court in Los Angeles, where she admitted to promoting pro-China propaganda by sharing prewritten articles favorable to Beijing without informing the federal government.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California announced the charge on May 11, 2026, leading to Wang's immediate resignation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli stated, "Individuals in our country who covertly do the bidding of foreign governments undermine our democracy," emphasizing the commitment to defend against foreign influence.
According to the Department of Justice, Wang's illegal activities occurred from late 2020 to 2022, coinciding with her time in office. Wang, who switched from the Republican to the Democratic Party in 2022, collaborated with Yaoning “Mike” Sun to promote Chinese propaganda on the U.S. News Center website. Sun was sentenced to four years in prison after pleading guilty to similar charges.
In June 2021, Wang received an article from a Chinese official via WeChat, which she subsequently posted on her website. The article denied allegations of genocide and forced labor in China's Xinjiang province. Wang is scheduled for sentencing on October 6, 2026, facing a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison. Arcadia has a population of approximately 53,000, with around 40% of residents identifying as Chinese.