A mayor of a city in California resigned after being charged with acting as an unlawful agent of the Chinese government.
On 12 May 2026, 58-year-old Eileen Wang, mayor of Arcadia in northern California, submitted her resignation after the U.S. Department of Justice charged her with acting as an illegal agent of the Chinese government.
Wang agreed to plead guilty to serious charges, while the Arcadia City Council stated she submitted her resignation last Monday.
If convicted, Wang could face up to 10 years in prison. Her attorneys, Jason Liang and Brian Sun, issued a statement on her behalf: "She apologizes and regrets the mistakes she made in her personal life."
Bill Essaily, the first assistant U.S. attorney, said, "This plea agreement is the latest success in our commitment to protect our homeland from China's attempts to undermine our institutions."
"Individuals in our country secretly following foreign government orders are damaging our democracy," Essaily added.
According to the Department of Justice, Wang was accused of following orders from Chinese officials, including sharing articles that cast the Beijing government in a positive light without informing the U.S. government as legally required.
She was elected to the Arcadia City Council in November 2022, which has five members who rotate the mayoral position on a rotating basis.
The Department of Justice also stated Wang collaborated with 65-year-old Sun Yaning, also known as Mike, to manage the website “US News Center,” which claims to be a news source for Chinese Americans living in Arcadia and was used to disseminate pro-China articles.
One article denied allegations of forced labor and human rights abuses in China’s Xinjiang province.
Dominic Lazzaretto, Arcadia’s city manager, said on the city’s website, "The core allegation of this case—that a foreign government is attempting to exert influence over locally elected officials—is extremely concerning, and we take this matter very seriously."
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Source:bbc