The mayor of Arcadia, a city in Los Angeles County’s San Gabriel Valley, admitted Monday that she acted as an illegal agent for Communist China and agreed to resign from office as part of a stunning federal plea agreement unsealed by prosecutors.

According to court filings, Eileen Wang acknowledged that she worked with officials tied to the People’s Republic of China to spread propaganda through a fake news website operating in the United States between 2020 and 2022. Wang was later elected to the Arcadia City Council in November 2022.

Federal prosecutors said Wang, 58, partnered with her former fiancé, Yaoning “Mike” Sun, to run a website called “U.S. News Center,” which presented itself as a legitimate news outlet serving Chinese Americans.

Authorities said the website was actually being used to carry out directives from Beijing.

Court documents state that Wang and Sun “executed directives” from Chinese government officials by publishing propaganda favorable to China while also sending screenshots and analytics back to their handlers to show how many readers viewed the articles.

In one instance described in the plea deal, Wang’s Chinese handler instructed her to publish pre-written propaganda pieces, including an essay authored by a PRC official that had appeared in the Los Angeles Times.

“There is no genocide in Xinjiang; there is no such thing as ‘forced labor’ in any production activity, including cotton production. Spreading such rumor is to defame China, destroy Xinjiang’s safety and stability,” wrote Wang’s master, according to the plea agreement.

Prosecutors said Wang quickly complied with the request, after which her handler responded, “So fast, thank you everyone.”

In another exchange detailed by investigators, Wang’s PRC contact praised the online traffic generated by one propaganda article. Wang allegedly responded, “Thank you leader.”

Wang pleaded guilty Monday afternoon during an arraignment hearing in downtown Los Angeles. She now faces up to 10 years in federal prison.

Bill Essayli, the top federal prosecutor in Los Angeles, said the case highlights China’s ongoing efforts to infiltrate and influence American institutions.

“Ms. Wang is just the latest to act as an agent for the PRC and it should terrify Americans that she was able to rise to the highest levels of local office in her city,” Essayli said.

As part of the plea agreement, Wang admitted she operated under the direction and control of Chinese officials to distribute propaganda inside the United States.

Sun was previously charged in 2024 with conspiracy and acting as an unregistered foreign agent on behalf of China.

Wang said her relationship with Sun ended that same year. Sun had also managed her City Council campaign. In Arcadia, the mayoral position rotates among members of the council.

In 2025, Wang attempted to separate herself from Sun’s legal troubles, stating she was “not responsible for the action of others,” while refusing calls to resign from the City Council.

Sun was sentenced in February to four years in federal prison for secretly working as an agent of the PRC.

“For years, Sun received and executed taskings from Chinese government officials, distorted our public discourse by disseminating Chinese propaganda, and surveilled groups in the United States that China viewed as threatening,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg.

Federal prosecutors allege Sun and Chinese officials hoped to transform Wang into a rising political figure who could eventually help advance Beijing’s interests in California politics.

In a 2024 interview with the Los Angeles Times, Wang said she moved from China to Southern California roughly 30 years ago.

She also said her mother practiced Chinese medicine and acupuncture, while her father worked as a physician in Sichuan province before later joining the University of Southern California.

The Chinese government has spent years attempting to shape American policymaking and public opinion through espionage and propaganda campaigns. U.S. counterintelligence officials warned in 2022 that Beijing was increasingly relying on both covert and overt influence operations.

That same year, the House Ethics Committee concluded a two-year investigation into allegations involving former Congressman Eric Swalwell and suspected Chinese spy Christine Fang, who had volunteered on his congressional campaign.

The committee ultimately warned Swalwell “of the possibility that foreign governments may attempt to secure improper influence through gifts and other interactions,” according to a letter issued at the close of the investigation.

Federal agents also carried out raids last month at Lancaster City Hall and at the homes of two local politicians as part of an investigation into ties between the officials and Chinese electric vehicle company BYD, which is conducting America’s first electric bus pilot program in the city.

“The concern was that the buses could be used for spying,” said a person with knowledge of the investigation.