by WorldTribune Staff, May 12, 2026 Non-AI Real World News
The mayor of Arcadia, California has resigned after admitting to federal prosecutors that she acted as an agent of the communist Chinese government to promote propaganda in the United States.
Mayor Eileen Wang, a Democrat, said she worked with the Chinese regime to boost propaganda with a fake news website on U.S. soil between 2020 and 2022. Wang was first elected to Arcadia’s city council in November 2022. She was elected mayor in February of this year.
Under the terms of a plea agreement, Wang, 58, pleaded guilty to the federal charge at her arraignment in downtown Los Angeles on Monday afternoon. She faces up to 10 years in prison.
“Ms. Wang is just the latest to act as an agent for the PRC and it should terrify Americans that she was able to rise to the highest levels of local office in her city,” said Bill Essayli, LA’s top federal prosecutor.
According to court documents, Wang worked with her then-fiancé, Yaoning “Mike” Sun, on a website called “U.S. News Center,” which claimed to be a news source for Chinese Americans.
Prosecutors in 2024 charged Sun with conspiracy and acting as an illegal agent of a foreign government. In February, he was sentenced to four years in federal prison for acting as a covert agent of the Chinese government.
Prosecutors say Sun and his communist bosses sought to turn Wang into a political star in the hopes that she would gain high office and further China’s goals in California.
Wang admitted she and Sun were carrying out the communist regime in Beijing’s orders through the site.
Wang and Sun “executed directives” from the Chinese government, posting propaganda designed to boost China, all while reporting back to their masters with screenshots showing how many people viewed the articles, according to the plea agreement.
In one case, Wang’s handler in China ordered her to post pre-written news articles, including an essay written by a Chinese government official which was published in the Los Angeles Times, the plea deal states.
“There is no genocide in Xinjiang; there is no such thing as ‘forced labor’ in any production activity, including cotton production. Spreading such rumor is to defame China, destroy Xinjiang’s safety and stability,” wrote Wang’s handler, according to the plea agreement.
After Wang distributed the article, her handler wrote back, “So fast, thank you everyone.”
In another case, Wang’s Chinese handler commended her on page views received by a certain piece of propaganda. Wang wrote back, “Thank you leader.”
🚨 Arcadia Mayor Eileen Wang in California has been charged with acting as an illegal agent of the People’s Republic of China in the United States.
Mayor Wang admitted to acting as a foreign agent from at least 2020 through 2022 – promoting PRC propaganda in the U.S. and acting…
— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) May 11, 2026
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