A political adviser linked to Arcadia Councilwoman Eileen Wang is seeking a judge’s approval of his guilty plea to acting as an illegal agent for the Chinese government.
Yaoning Sun, 64, of Chino Hills, was the campaign treasurer for Wang, who was elected to represent Arcadia’s City Council District 3 in November 2022. Reports also surfaced that Sun was Wang’s fiance, but she said their romantic relationship ended about eight months prior to the filing of federal charges in December 2024.
Sun is expected in federal court in downtown Los Angeles on Monday to formally submit his plea. Sun, who also uses the first name Mike, is facing a maximum prison sentence of 10 years, a three-year period of supervised release and a fine of at least $250,000.
According to the plea document filed earlier this month, Sun was part of an operation to promote policies of the Chinese government to counter “secessionist movements” involving Taiwan, Tibet and other groups.
“For a long time, overseas anti-China forces have been ceaseless, Taiwan independence, Tibet independence, Xinjiang independence, and Falungong have been active for a long time … infiltrating and active in various mainstream fields,” Sun wrote in a 2023 report to China officials.
“The report defendant drafted proposed ‘using part of our Los Angeles organization’s professional core team,’ to seek to counteract those forces,” according to prosecutors.
Sun “coordinated with U.S.-based individuals to promote the interests of the (People’s Republic of China) by, among other things, promoting pro-PRC propaganda in the United States,” the plea document states.
Wang, who is currently mayor pro tem, declined to comment. Sun’s attorney Adam Olin did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In a statement to HeySoCal.com, Mayor Sharon Kwan referred to remarks she made when she was sworn in as mayor in April.
“Arcadia must remain vigilant against the influence of foreign governments — including efforts by the Chinese Communist Party — that may seek to shape local policy for interests that do not align with our residents. I say this with great care — not to alarm, but to inform. Our local democracy must always be protected.”
Kwan added that the Arcadia “government belongs solely to the people we serve,” and pledged her commitment to “transparency, integrity, and ensuring that our city is never compromised by external or special interests.”
In a statement Dec. 23 City Manager Dominic Lazzaretto said, “The investigation naturally raises concerns and questions about the extent of Sun’s involvement locally and throughout the region. At this time, Sun’s involvement is considered an isolated incident, with no known association with other members of the Arcadia City Council. Importantly, we can confirm that Sun had no involvement whatsoever with city of Arcadia business or decision-making.”
The charges against Sun came during President Joe Biden’s administration amid concerns that the Chinese government had established a network of operatives to influence local elections in the U.S. to install politicians friendly to Beijing and to advocate for Chinese interests.
Sun has admitted to conspiring with Chen Jun, who like Sun is affiliated with the People’s Liberation Army. He was sentenced last year in New York to 20 months in prison for acting as an illegal agent of the Chinese government.
According to the plea deal’s court filing, PRC officials directed Sun to post pro-Beijing content on a website he ran with Wang.
“From 2020 through 2023, defendant and (Wang) worked together to operate a
website directed toward the local Chinese-American community,” the court document states. “(Sun and Wang) received and executed directives from PRC government officials to post pro-PRC content on the website, and sometimes sought approval from PRC government officials to post other pro-PRC content on the website.”
Throughout 2023 and 2024, Sun communicated with a PRC official Los Angeles consulate about activities in Southern California related to Taiwan, according to the plea deal.
In April 2023 when President Tsai Ing-Wen of Taiwan visited Southern California, Sun “sent real-time updates” on Tsai’s movements to the consular official and sought the unnamed official’s consent to publish an article about Tsai’s visit on the website Sun operated with Wang, court documents show. Sun also took photos of people protesting in support of and opposition to President Tsai and sent those photographs to the PRC official.
Updated Oct. 23, 2025, 9:35 a.m.
