Eileen Wang, 58, has resigned from her position as mayor of Arcadia, California, following federal charges that she acted as an illegal agent of the People’s Republic of China.

According to a May 11 press release from the Department of Justice, Wang was charged with one count of acting in the United States as an illegal agent of a foreign government. In a related filing, she has agreed to plead guilty to the felony charge, which carries a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison.

Prosecutors allege that Wang and her co-conspirator, Yaoning “Mike” Sun, operated under the direction of Chinese officials from late 2020 through 2022. The pair allegedly used an outlet called U.S. News Center to publish pre-written content sent by PRC officials via WeChat, including articles denying genocide and forced labor in Xinjiang.

Wang is said to have edited the material at the request of PRC officials and provided screenshots of view counts back to Chinese contacts. She also reportedly sent a message to one of them with the words: “Thank you leader.”

Sun has already pleaded guilty to the same charge and is serving a four-year federal prison sentence after entering his plea in October 2025.

Wang, who was elected to the Arcadia City Council in November 2022, resigned from her council seat effective May 11. The City of Arcadia stated that the council will select a new mayor and mayor pro tem from the remaining members while deciding how District 3 will be represented until the November 2026 election cycle.

Federal officials emphasized that Wang’s actions violated the trust placed in elected officials. “Individuals elected to public office in the United States should act only for the people of the United States that they represent,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg.

The FBI noted, “By her own admission, Eileen Wang secretly served the interests of the Chinese government.”

Wang’s formal guilty plea hearing is scheduled for the coming weeks.