A mayor of a southern Californian city has resigned after the US Department of Justice (DoJ) charged her with acting as an illegal agent of China.
Eileen Wang, 58 - the mayor of Arcadia - agreed to plead guilty to the felony count and Arcadia City Council said she resigned from her post on Monday.Individuals in our country who covertly do the bidding of foreign governments undermine our democracy," Essayli added.
Wang could face a sentence of up to 10 years in prison. Her lawyers, Jason Liang and Brian Sun, said in a statement on her behalf that "she apologises and is sorry for the mistakes she has made in her personal life".
First assistant US attorney Bill Essayli said: "This plea agreement is the latest success in our determination to defend the homeland against China's efforts to corrupt our institutions".
Individuals in our country who covertly do the bidding of foreign governments undermine our democracy," Essayli added.
Wang is accused of following directions from Chinese officials, according to the DoJ, including sharing favourable articles about Beijing without informing the US government, as required by law.
An example used by the DoJ points to a Chinese government official sending Wang pre-written news articles via the WeChat encrypted messaging app.
One article denied allegations of forced labour and abuse in China's Xinjiang province.
Shortly after being sent the link, Wang shared it on US News Center and responded to these Chinese official, the DoJ said.
Taking to the Arcadia city website, Dominic Lazzaretto, the city's manager, said: "The allegations at the centre of this case, that a foreign government sought to exert influence over a local elected official, are deeply troubling. We take them seriously.
We want to be clear: this investigation concerns individual conduct, and the charges are for conduct that ceased after Ms Wang was sworn into office in December 2022. Following an internal review, we can confirm that no City finances, staff, or decision-making processes were involved."
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