A Southern California mayor has agreed to plead guilty to serving as an illegal agent of the Chinese government, CNN reported. Mayor Wang Ailin ArcadiaOfficials said on Monday, May 11, that he had resigned from the city government.
What charges does Wang Ailin face?
Wang was charged in April with one count of acting as an unlawful agent of a foreign government in the United States. She allegedly followed instructions from Chinese officials, such as sharing articles favorable to Beijing, without notifying the U.S. government in advance as required by law.
Wang, 58, was elected to the five-member city council in November 2022.
director of the fbi Kashi Patel The latest news, shared on X, said the FBI and its partners will continue working to “eradicate this influence from U.S. institutions.”
“Arcadia Mayor Irene Wang is here california Charged with acting as an unlawful agent of the People’s Republic of China in the United States,” Patel wrote. “Mayor Wang admitted to serving as a foreign agent from at least 2020 to 2022 – promoting the People’s Republic of China in the United States and acting at the direction of the People’s Republic of China to further their interests. She has agreed to resign and plead guilty. “
He added, “The @FBI and our federal partners continue to act aggressively to root out this impact on American institutions across the country.”
City Manager Dominic Lazzaretto said in a news release that no city finance or staff members were involved. “We want to be clear: This investigation involves the conduct of an individual, and these charges are for conduct that ceased after Ms. Wang was sworn in in December 2022,” he said, according to CNN.
Learn more | California mayor admits to being Chinese agent; quits job
Wang has agreed to plead guilty, according to federal officials. The maximum penalty is 10 years in federal prison.
Wang’s attorneys, Jason Liang and Brian Sun, said in a statement that their client recognized the seriousness of the charges and accepted responsibility for “his past personal mistakes.”
“She apologizes for the mistakes she made in her personal life,” the attorneys said. “Her love and devotion to the Acadian community has not changed and has not wavered.”
