Arcadia Mayor Erin Wang pleads guilty to serving as illegal foreign agent Chinaleading to her resignation in a shocking federal plea deal released Monday.
Wang reached an understanding with prosecutors saying she cooperated with the People’s Republic of China to enhance propaganda through fraudulent news websites operating on U.S. soil from 2020 to 2022. She was elected to the Arcadia City Council in November 2022, a city in the San Gabriel Valley Los Angeles county.
Court documents show that Wang, 58, worked with her then-fiancé, Yaoning “Mike” Sun, to create a website called American News Center, which it said was a news source for Chinese Americans.
In fact, the two were executing from Beijing through the website.
Wang and Sun “implemented” the Chinese government’s instructions and spread propaganda aimed at promoting ChinaAccording to the plea agreement, feedback was also provided to superiors via screenshots showing the number of article views.
Who is “Mike” Sun Yaoning?
In February 2026, Yaoning “Mike” Sun, a 65-year-old political strategist from Chino Hills, California, was sentenced to 48 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to serving as a covert agent for the People’s Republic of China (PRC) even while he was a campaign consultant for a winning city council candidate in the Southern state. california.
Justin Sun pleaded guilty in October 2025 to being an unlawful agent of a foreign government and was sentenced by Judge R. Gary Klausner in federal court in Los Angeles. Prosecutors said that from 2022 to January 2024, Sun knowingly acted at the direction and control of officials in the People’s Republic of China without notifying the U.S. Attorney General, a legal obligation under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA).
Authorities claim Sun used his political expertise to work with U.S. colleagues to push Chinese interests within the American political framework. Sun’s activities included assembling a team to assist in the November 2022 election of a candidate, known in court as “Individual 1,” to the local city council, and serving as a campaign adviser to that candidate throughout 2022 while taking orders from PRC officials.
Yaoning “Mike” Sun’s actions were called a “blatant violation” of U.S. sovereignty
John A. Eisenberg, the assistant attorney general for national security, described Sun’s actions as a “blatant violation” of U.S. sovereignty and claimed that Sun “distorted our public discourse by spreading Chinese propaganda and spied on groups in the United States, China considered a threat to their interests. “
Sun’s efforts transcended local political matters. Court documents say he and his associates ran a website promoted as a news outlet for the Chinese-American community, and prosecutors allege the website was directed by Chinese officials to spread content favorable to Beijing.
Federal records show that in April 2023, during a visit by Taiwan’s president to Southern California Tsai Ing-wenSun provided Chinese consulate officials with real-time updates on the president’s movements and requested authorization to publish articles about the visit, triggering alerts about intelligence gathering. Sun also took images of supporters and opponents of the visit and sent them to Chinese contacts.
In a February 2023 report prepared for Chinese officials, Sun highlighted his previous service in the People’s Liberation Army and outlined his role in promoting the People’s Republic of China’s goals, including taking action against opposition to Beijing in Taiwan, Tibet, Xinjiangand Falun Gong.
The report even raised $80,000 to arrange a pro-People’s Republic of China demonstration during the Fourth of July parade in Washington, DC.
