Arcadia City Hall (Photo – Ann Hunnewell)
A Chino Hills man, Yaoning “Mike” Sun, has agreed to plead guilty to charges of acting as an unregistered foreign agent for the Chinese government, according to federal court documents.
By Claire Caissée
Sun, a Chinese citizen legally residing in the United States, admitted to working on behalf of the People’s Republic of China between 2022 and 2024 without registering with the U.S. Department of Justice, as required under federal law. During that period, he also served as a campaign advisor to a local political candidate.
According to a plea agreement signed earlier this month, Sun is expected to formally enter his guilty plea in federal court in Los Angeles on Monday. If the agreement is accepted by a judge, he could face up to 10 years in prison.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office and Sun’s attorney declined to comment, according to a report by the Associated Press.
Sun has close personal and political ties to Arcadia Mayor Pro Tem Eileen Wang, having served as her campaign manager and business partner. Wang was elected in 2022, and her term runs through November 2026. Although she has not been charged, she is identified as “Individual 1” in court records. The investigation remains ongoing.
The case raises questions about Wang’s ties to Sun, which spanned both her campaign and her time in office. There is currently no indication that Wang faces any charges or was aware of Sun’s alleged activities.
Sun’s prosecution is part of a broader federal crackdown on covert Chinese influence operations in the United States, an effort that has resulted in several similar cases during the Biden administration.
Claire Caissée is a resident of the San Gabriel Valley.
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