Former Arcadia mayor pleads guilty as illegal Chinese agent

A former mayor of Arcadia, California, has pleaded guilty to acting as an illegal agent of the Chinese government, a case that has stirred significant concern in the majority-Asian community she was elected to serve. Eileen Wang, 56, entered her plea in federal court on Friday. She admitted to doing the bidding of Chinese officials by sharing articles favorable to Beijing on a news website she operated, without registering as a foreign agent with the U.S. government as required by law.

Wangs plea follows a federal investigation that became public on May 11, sending shockwaves through the suburban city east of Los Angeles. The news filled Arcadia with anger and disappointment, while also sparking fears of broader anti-Asian backlash. Acting Mayor Paul Cheng warned against allowing the case to be used to stereotype entire communities. We cannot allow this moment to become an excuse for people to paint entire communities with one brush or weaponize ethnicity for political gain, Cheng said in a statement.

Wangs legal troubles are connected to her former fiancé, Yaoning Mike Sun, who pleaded guilty to the same charge last year and is now serving a four-year prison sentence. Sun...