California Mayor Steps Down, Admits to Illegally Representing China
A mayor from Southern California has decided to step down from her position and is set to admit to unlawfully serving as a representative for the Chinese government.
Eileen Wang, the now-former mayor of Arcadia, was indicted last spring with a charge of operating in the United States as an unauthorized agent of a foreign government. She was allegedly carrying out tasks on behalf of Chinese officials, such as disseminating articles that painted Beijing in a positive light, without giving the necessary prior notice to the US government as mandated by law.
Local Leadership Unaffected
The 58-year-old former mayor, who was elected to the city council in November a few years ago as part of a five-member team that chooses the mayor in rotation, has clarified that no city resources or personnel were implicated in her actions.
The city's manager, Dominic Lazzaretto, emphasized in a statement that this investigation pertains to individual behavior, and the charges leveled are related to actions that ceased after Wang assumed office in December the same year she was elected.
Accepting Responsibility
Wang has agreed to plead guilty to the felony charge, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison, according to federal authorities.
Her legal representatives, Jason Liang and Brian Sun, conveyed in a statement that Wang acknowledges the gravity of the charge and accepts responsibility for her “past personal errors.” They added that despite the mistakes in her personal life, her commitment and affection for the Arcadia community remain unchanged.
Collaboration and Propaganda
As per her plea agreement, it is revealed that Wang and a colleague, Yaoning “Mike” Sun, were acting on behalf of government officials from the People’s Republic of China for a couple of years to advance their interests by spreading pro-China propaganda in the U.S. Sun is currently serving a four-year prison term after admitting guilt to the same charge last fall. He was also documented in the election filings as the treasurer for Wang’s election campaign.
Wang and Sun ran a news website targeted at the Chinese American community and were directed by Chinese government officials to publish pro-China content on the platform.
Dissemination of Controversial Content
In one particular incidence, a government official sent Wang a link to a letter published in a popular Los Angeles newspaper, penned by the consul general of the People’s Republic of China in Los Angeles. This letter denied reports of the mistreatment, forced labor, and abuse of Uyghers in China’s Xinjiang province, asserting that there's no proof of genocide or forced labor in the region. Without wasting any time, Wang posted this link on her news site.
The US and several other nations have denounced Beijing's policies against the Uyghers as genocide and crimes against humanity.
Personal Life Interwoven with Misconduct
During this time, Wang was engaged to Sun, as stated by her lawyers. She has claimed that this relationship ended in spring a few years later. Their statement hints at her misguided trust and affection for an individual who led her astray.
There were also interactions between Wang and John Chen, who also accepted his guilt for being an agent for the Chinese government and received a 20-month prison sentence.
Wang is scheduled to appear in federal court in downtown Los Angeles soon and will plead guilty in the following weeks.
Arcadia, a city located northeast of Los Angeles with a population of about 53,000, is predominantly Asian and has a significant number of Chinese residents.
A mayor from Southern California has decided to step down from her position and is set to admit to unlawfully serving as a representative for the Chinese government.
Eileen Wang, the now-former mayor of Arcadia, was indicted last spring with a charge of operating in the United States as an unauthorized agent of a foreign government. She was allegedly carrying out tasks on behalf of Chinese officials, such as disseminating articles that painted Beijing in a positive light, without giving the necessary prior notice to the US government as mandated by law.
Local Leadership Unaffected
The 58-year-old former mayor, who was elected to the city council in November a few years ago as part of a five-member team that chooses the mayor in rotation, has clarified that no city resources or personnel were implicated in her actions.
The city's manager, Dominic Lazzaretto, emphasized in a statement that this investigation pertains to individual behavior, and the charges leveled are related to actions that ceased after Wang assumed office in December the same year she was elected.
Accepting Responsibility
Wang has agreed to plead guilty to the felony charge, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison, according to federal authorities.
Her legal representatives, Jason Liang and Brian Sun, conveyed in a statement that Wang acknowledges the gravity of the charge and accepts responsibility for her “past personal errors.” They added that despite the mistakes in her personal life, her commitment and affection for the Arcadia community remain unchanged.
Collaboration and Propaganda
As per her plea agreement, it is revealed that Wang and a colleague, Yaoning “Mike” Sun, were acting on behalf of government officials from the People’s Republic of China for a couple of years to advance their interests by spreading pro-China propaganda in the U.S. Sun is currently serving a four-year prison term after admitting guilt to the same charge last fall. He was also documented in the election filings as the treasurer for Wang’s election campaign.
Wang and Sun ran a news website targeted at the Chinese American community and were directed by Chinese government officials to publish pro-China content on the platform.
Dissemination of Controversial Content
In one particular incidence, a government official sent Wang a link to a letter published in a popular Los Angeles newspaper, penned by the consul general of the People’s Republic of China in Los Angeles. This letter denied reports of the mistreatment, forced labor, and abuse of Uyghers in China’s Xinjiang province, asserting that there's no proof of genocide or forced labor in the region. Without wasting any time, Wang posted this link on her news site.
The US and several other nations have denounced Beijing's policies against the Uyghers as genocide and crimes against humanity.
Personal Life Interwoven with Misconduct
During this time, Wang was engaged to Sun, as stated by her lawyers. She has claimed that this relationship ended in spring a few years later. Their statement hints at her misguided trust and affection for an individual who led her astray.
There were also interactions between Wang and John Chen, who also accepted his guilt for being an agent for the Chinese government and received a 20-month prison sentence.
Wang is scheduled to appear in federal court in downtown Los Angeles soon and will plead guilty in the following weeks.
Arcadia, a city located northeast of Los Angeles with a population of about 53,000, is predominantly Asian and has a significant number of Chinese residents.