What we know about Eileen Wang, the former Arcadia mayor accused of being a Chinese foreign agent

Eileen Wang emerged as an emerging community leader in the San Gabriel Valley a few years ago.

He won the endorsement of political elites and was elected to the Arcadia City Council. In a 2024 interview with The Times, Wang said he moved to Southern California from China 30 years ago.

His mother was a Chinese medicine and acupuncturist, and his father was a doctor in Sichuan province before working at USC, he said. He said he was drawn to Arcadia because of his sons’ good schools and his desire to make a difference in the community.

This week, unsealed documents show he has been charged with being an illegal foreign agent of China.

Wang resigned from the City Council on Monday after reaching an agreement to settle the state issue.

Here’s an overview of what we know:

What are federal prosecutors charging?

From late 2020 until at least 2022, Wang worked with Yaoning “Mike” Sun, his ex-husband, to run a website called the US News Center that billed itself as a news source for Chinese Americans, according to the plea agreement unsealed Monday. Both Wang and Sun “used instructions” from Chinese government officials, posting requested articles and reporting with screenshots showing how many people viewed the stories, the agreement said.

On June 10, 2021, the agreement says, Wang received a message from a government official about “China’s Position on the Xinjiang Issue,” which included a link to a letter to the editor in the Los Angeles Times from the consul general of the People’s Republic of China in Los Angeles. The attorney general was responding to a Times article supporting a boycott of cotton products produced in China’s Xinjiang region.

At the time, news reports highlighted the Chinese government’s campaign to arrest, persecute and “re-educate” Uyghurs in Xinjiang province.

“There is no genocide in Xinjiang; there is no such thing as ‘forced labor’ in any production work, including cotton production. Spreading such rumors is defaming China, destroying the security and stability of Xinjiang,” reads a message from a Chinese government official, according to the plea agreement.

Minutes after receiving the link, Wang posted the article on his website and responded to a Chinese government official with a link to the article on his website, according to the court.

“Very quickly, thank you everyone,” the official replied, court records show.

Prosecutors also said Wang edited the articles at the request of officials and shared information indicating access to the posts.

What do his lawyers say?

In a statement, Wang’s lawyers, Brian A. Sun and Jason Liang, said that “the conduct underlying the information and agreement with the government is only related to the personal life of Ms.

“He is sorry and apologizes for the mistakes he made in his personal life,” the statement added. “His love and devotion for the community of Arcadia has not changed and has not wavered. He asks for the community’s understanding and continued support.”

What about the Sun?

Prosecutors charged Sun, a resident of Chino Hills, in December 2024 with conspiracy and acting as an illegal agent of a foreign government. Wang said his relationship with Sun will end in the spring of 2024.

Sun was sentenced in February to four years in federal prison after pleading guilty in October 2025 to one count of acting as an illegal agent of a foreign government.

Sun acted as an unofficial agent of the People’s Republic of China, delivering reports to senior government officials about work he was doing on behalf of the government, according to the federal sentencing memorandum. This work included combating Falun Gong, a spiritual practice banned in China, and Taiwan independence supporters. Sun has also been accused of monitoring the former president of Taiwan during his April 2023 trip to the US.

What’s next?

A magistrate judge ordered Wang to post a $25,000 bond, and he was ordered to surrender his passport and travel documents. Wang must also avoid any contact with the Chinese government, including US embassy officials

A hearing has not been scheduled for Wang to enter his guilty plea. If he does that, he faces up to ten years in prison.

The Arcadia city government has announced that next week it will elect a mayor and mayoral team from among the remaining council members.