California city mayor resigns over China influence charges

Arcadia, Calif., Mayor Eileen Wang faces one federal charge of acting as an illegal agent of the Chinese government. The U.S. Department of Justice alleges that Wang collaborated with a local man, Yaoning Sun, to run a fake news outlet spreading propaganda from the Chinese government for the local Chinese-American community. The two allegedly received directives from high-level Chinese officials from 2020 to 2022, according to a Monday release from the DOJ.

Sun served as Wang’s campaign adviser and helped her get elected in November 2022 to the Arcadia City Council, whose members serve as mayor on a rotating basis. Wang agreed to resign from her position as mayor, the Justice Department said Monday.

Wang agreed to a plea deal and was expected to plead guilty in the next few weeks, the Justice Department said. She could face up to 10 years in federal prison. She is considered legally innocent until proven guilty in court. Sun is currently serving a prison sentence after being convicted on similar charges in February.

Dig deeper: Read my previous report on Sun’s conviction.