Former California mayor pleads guilty to secretly working as foreign agent of China [View all]
The former mayor of Arcadia pleaded guilty Friday to acting as an illegal agent of China.
Eileen Wang, 56, was charged last month and agreed to plead guilty to accusations that she was directed 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 assumed the job of mayor, a position that rotates among the council members. She stepped down as mayor hours after the plea agreement was unsealed earlier this month. Arcadia officials and Wangs attorneys said the conduct described by federal authorities occurred before Wang took office.
Wang, who is out on a $25,000 bond, appeared in federal court in downtown Los Angeles to enter her plea. She faces up to 10 years in prison when she is sentenced Oct. 6.
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2026-05-29/former-arcadia-mayor-guilty-plea-foreign-agent-china