Eileen Wang, the 58-year-old mayor of Arcadia, California, has resigned from her municipal position after the US Department of Justice announced she had been charged with acting as an illegal foreign agent of China. Wang has agreed to plead guilty to the federal felony count.
According to unsealed court documents, Wang admitted to promoting and posting pro-China propaganda at the direction and control of Chinese government officials. These activities took place from late 2020 through 2022.
Arcadia is an affluent Los Angeles suburb with a heavy Chinese-American presence. By pleading guilty to the charge of acting as an unregistered foreign agent, Wang now faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.