The former mayor of a Southern California city admitted in federal court Friday that she acted as an illegal agent of the Chinese government, formally pleading guilty in a case prosecutors have described as a brazen effort to spread Beijing-backed propaganda inside the United States.
Eileen Li Wang, the former mayor of Arcadia, California, pleaded guilty to acting as an agent of a foreign government without notifying U.S. authorities, a felony offense carrying a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison, three years of supervised release, a $250,000 fine and a $100 special assessment fee.
Federal prosecutors allege Wang acted “at the direction and control” of Chinese government officials between 2020 and 2022, coordinating with individuals in the United States to distribute pro-Beijing messaging without registering with the U.S. attorney general as required by law. The conduct described in the case occurred before Wang was elected to the Arcadia City Council in 2022 and later became mayor through the city’s rotating system.
Wang appeared in court Friday wearing a navy suit with gold buttons and was accompanied by her attorneys. Although the court provided a Mandarin interpreter, Wang chose to proceed in English throughout the hearing.
CALIFORNIA MAYOR ACCUSED OF SECRETLY WORKING FOR CHINA, SPREADING PROPAGANDA WHILE IN OFFICE: FEDS
Before accepting the plea, the judge placed Wang under oath and questioned her extensively about her state of mind and understanding of the proceedings. Wang then waived her right to a grand jury indictment and her right to a jury trial.
A Justice Department attorney reviewed the charge against Wang of knowingly acting as an agent of a foreign government without notifying U.S. authorities, and outlined the maximum penalties she faces. Wang told the court she understood she was pleading guilty to a felony offense and understood the potential consequences, including the conditions of supervised release.
Prosecutors also reviewed the constitutional rights Wang would be giving up by entering the plea, including certain appeal rights. The judge then asked Wang a series of questions to verify she understood those waivers.
At one point, defense attorneys attempted to waive the government’s reading of the factual basis supporting the charge, but prosecutors insisted the facts be read aloud in open court.
When the judge asked how she pleaded, Wang responded: “Yes, guilty.”
The judge accepted the plea and scheduled sentencing for Oct. 6 at 9 a.m. Wang was released on bond pending sentencing and will have an opportunity to address the court before her sentence is imposed.
The guilty plea marks the latest development in a case federal officials have pointed to as a warning about Chinese government efforts to influence American institutions and public discourse through covert operations inside the United States.
According to court documents, Wang worked alongside Yaoning “Mike” Sun, a convicted Chinese agent already serving a four-year federal prison sentence, to operate a website posing as a local Chinese-American news outlet.
Prosecutors described the website as a propaganda arm for the Chinese Communist Party that published content supplied directly by Chinese government officials.
LAWMAKERS RAISE ALARM OVER NEVILLE ROY SINGHAM’S $278M NETWORK SPREADING CCP PROPAGANDA IN THE U.S.
In one exchange detailed in court filings, a Chinese government official sent Wang an article denying allegations of forced labor and genocide in China’s Xinjiang region. Prosecutors said Wang posted the article online within minutes and sent the official a link to the published piece. The official allegedly responded, “So fast, thank you everyone.”
In another instance, prosecutors said Wang made edits to content at Beijing’s request and later responded, “Thank you leader.”
Authorities also allege Wang communicated with convicted Chinese operative John Chen, a figure prosecutors say has ties to China’s intelligence apparatus and connections to Chinese President Xi Jinping. According to court documents, Wang asked Chen to distribute messaging and wrote, “This is what the Ministry of Foreign Affairs wants to send.”
CHINA SKIRTS US EFFORTS TO STIFF-ARM CCP INTERFERENCE BY BOLSTERING STATE, LOCAL RELATIONS
“Individuals elected to public office in the United States should act only for the people of the United States that they represent,” Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg said when the charges were announced.
“It is deeply concerning that someone who previously received and executed directives from PRC government officials is now in a position of public trust at all.”
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli called the case part of an ongoing effort to counter Chinese influence operations in the United States.
“Individuals in our country who covertly do the bidding of foreign governments undermine our democracy,” Essayli said. “This plea agreement is the latest success in our determination to defend the homeland against China’s efforts to corrupt our institutions.”
FBI Assistant Director Roman Rozhavsky said Wang’s conduct should serve as a warning to others who seek to influence American politics on behalf of foreign governments.
“By her own admission, Eileen Wang secretly served the interests of the Chinese government,” Rozhavsky said. “Let this serve as a clear warning (that) individuals who act on behalf of foreign governments to influence our democracy will be identified, investigated and brought to justice.”
Wang resigned from the Arcadia City Council and mayor’s office after federal charges were announced. City officials have maintained that the conduct described by prosecutors occurred before Wang took office and said an internal review found no city finances, staff or decision-making processes were involved.
“The allegations at the center of this case, that a foreign government sought to exert influence over a local elected official, are deeply troubling,” the city previously said in a statement. “We take them seriously.”
Fox News’ Alex Rego and Matt Finn contributed to this report.
