Published May 29, 2026, 9:03 PM EDT
Eileen Wang resigned from her mayoral role earlier this month.
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Published May 29, 2026, 9:03 PM EDT
Eileen Wang, the former mayor of Arcadia, Calif., pleaded guilty Friday to acting as an illegal agent for the Chinese government. Military.com previously reported how Wang, the mayor of the five-person city council in Southern California, planned to plead guilty to the felony criminal charge. She had admitted in her plea agreement that she did not notify the attorney general that she was acting in the United States as an agent of the People's Republic of China, nor did she disclose that she was posting content on Arcadia's website at the direction of the Chinese government. Wang was elected in November 2022 as part of a rotating city council. Federal prosecutors had charged her based on illegal conduct that occurred from late 2020 to 2022, though Arcadia city officials and Wang's attorneys said her discretions concluded before she officially became mayor. She stood and answered procedural questions on Friday from U.S. District Judge Wesley Hsu, according to the Associated Press, who read Wang her rights and made sure she understood the consequences of her plea. The AP reported that a Mandarin interpreter was present, though they did not assist Wang in the proceeding. Wang faces up to 10 years in prison and three years of supervised release. She's currently out of jail after being permitted to post a $25,000 bond, which will remain consistent until her Oct. 6 sentencing.
