The former mayor of Arcadia pleaded guilty Friday to being an illegal agent of China.
Eileen Wang, 56, was indicted last month and pleaded guilty to charges that she was ordered by the Chinese government to promote propaganda in the United States between 2020 and 2022, according to court filings.
Wang was elected to the City Council in November 2022 and eventually took the job of mayor, a position that rotates between council members. He resigned as mayor hours after taking a plea deal earlier this month. Arcadia officials and Wang's lawyers say the conduct described by federal authorities occurred before Wang took office.
Wang, who is out on $25,000 bond, appeared in federal court in the city of Los Angeles to enter his plea. He faces up to 10 years in prison when he is sentenced on October 6.
During the trial, Wang, who was wearing a black suit, spoke loudly to answer “yes” and “no” to plead guilty. US District Judge Wesley Hsu said the plea deal would bar Wang from holding public office.
“Do you plead guilty because you are guilty,” asked Hsu?
“Yes,” said Wang.
The judge previously ordered Wang to avoid any contact with the Chinese government, including diplomatic officials in the United States.
“People in our country who secretly do the bidding of foreign governments are undermining our democracy,” First Assistant US Atty. Bill Essayli previously said in a statement. “This plea agreement is the latest achievement in our determination to protect the country from China's efforts to undermine our institutions.”
From late 2020 until at least 2022, Wang worked with Yaoning “Mike” Sun, his ex-wife, to run a website called the US News Center that billed itself as a news source for Chinese Americans, according to his plea agreement. Both Wang and Sun “used instructions” from Chinese government officials, posting requested articles and reporting with screenshots showing how many people had viewed the stories, Wang's plea agreement said.
Sun also pleaded guilty to charges of working undercover in China and this year he was sentenced to four years in prison.
On June 10, 2021, according to Wang's plea agreement, he received a message from a government official regarding “China's Position on the Xinjiang Issue,” including 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 because of forced labor.
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.
“Thank you leader,” he wrote on August 20, 2021, after being praised for a post that had been viewed more than 15,000 times, according to the plea agreement.
Wang never disclosed that the Chinese government ordered him to post the content, according to court documents.
Arcadia Mayor Paul Cheng speaks May 19 at the first City Council meeting since Eileen Wang was charged with being an illegal agent for China.
(Scott Strazzante / For The Times)
City leaders' anger at allowing Wang to continue as mayor spilled over on May 19, when the City Council met for the first time since the former mayor's settlement agreement was made public.
“Stand up and apologize to the citizens of Arcadia for allowing this to happen,” said Tom Beck, Arcadia's former mayor, who argued that Wang should have been released after the FBI raided his home.
“I would imagine that if you are on the City Council and that happens, the lights start to turn red,” he said.
Residents cheered on the three men on the council – David Fu, Paul Cheng and Michael Cao – saying the three were protecting Wang, while ignoring Councilor Sharon Kwan's calls for a public discussion about the criminal charges.
“How could your judgment be so seriously compromised?” said resident Steve Rhee. “You lied to us. You set back Asian society by 20 years. Shame on you.”
Dominic Lazzaretto, the city manager, emphasized that the council does not have the power to evict Wang unless he is convicted of a crime. He said they were kept under surveillance throughout the investigation.
No member of the council directly answered the question of why they did not force Wang to resign as it became clear that he was involved in the criminal case of his ex-husband. Instead, they focused on the need to bring unity to the already divided city to fight against discrimination.
“We will not surrender out of fear,” said Cheng, who now serves as the city's mayor. “We will not allow the well in our town to be poisoned by outsiders.”
