Eileen Wang, the mayor of the Los Angeles suburb of Arcadia, resigned Monday after federal prosecutors revealed she acted as an illegal agent for the Chinese government.
Wang, 58, has agreed to plead guilty to a felony charge of working for a foreign power without notifying the U.S. government.
According to court documents, Wang spent years running a website called “U.S. News Center” which claimed to be a local news source but actually spread Beijing’s propaganda.
Investigators found that she followed specific orders from Chinese officials, even editing articles at their request. In one text exchange, after making changes requested by a Chinese official, she replied, “Thank you leader.”
Federal officials expressed deep concern over the breach of trust.
First Assistant U.S Attorney Essayli stated, “Individuals in our country who covertly do the bidding of foreign governments undermine our democracy.”
Prosecutors noted that Wang’s secret relationship was never disclosed before she was elected to public office in 2022.
Assistant Director Roman Rozhavsky of the FBI warned, “By her own admission, Eileen Wang secretly served the interests of the Chinese government” adding that those who influence American democracy for foreign powers will be brought to justice.
