A man who once worked for the current mayor of a California city was sentenced to four years in prison for covertly spreading Chinese Communist Party propaganda.
Yaoning “Mike” Sun, 65, was sentenced to 48 months in prison on Monday by U.S. District Judge R. Gary Klausner for acting as an illegal agent for China from 2022 to 2024. Sun once worked on the city council campaign of Democrat Eileen Wang, the current mayor of the Southern California city of Arcadia.
“For years, Sun received and executed taskings from Chinese government officials, distorted our public discourse by disseminating Chinese propaganda, and surveilled groups in the United States that China viewed as threatening its interests as part of a campaign of intimidation,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Eisenberg. 
“His conduct represents a brazen violation of our national sovereignty. This sentence reflects our commitment to prosecuting those who would extend the authoritarian reach of the Chinese government on U.S. soil,&#8221; he added.
During his time working as an agent for China, Sun submitted reports to Chinese officials highlighting his work to counter the Falun Gong minority and pro-Taiwanese independence forces and “helping to elect a like-minded individual (&#8216;Individual 1&#8217;) to political office in Southern California,” according to the Justice Department sentencing memo.
While “Individual 1” was not identified in court documents, both the <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2026-02-10/sentence-chinese-spy-helped-elect-council-member">Los Angeles Times</a> and the <a href="https://www.pasadenastarnews.com/2026/02/09/chino-hills-man-advisor-for-arcadia-leader-sentenced-to-prison-for-acting-as-unregistered-agent-for-china/">Pasadena Star-News</a> reported sources confirmed this person was Wang. Campaign documents <a href="https://apnews.com/article/china-election-interference-california-yaoning-mike-sun-d514395039bea63a8c7b8814d29d1aaa">listed</a> Sun as Wang’s campaign treasurer. Wang, who has not been charged with any crimes, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
While her position is officially non-partisan, filings show that Wang switched from identifying as a <a href="https://laserfiche.arcadiaca.gov/WebLink/DocView.aspx?id=866849&amp;dbid=0&amp;repo=CityofArcadia">Republican</a> to a <a href="https://laserfiche.arcadiaca.gov/WebLink/DocView.aspx?id=866847&amp;dbid=0&amp;repo=CityofArcadia">Democrat</a>. The Los Angeles Times <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-12-21/who-is-the-politician-at-the-center-of-the-latest-chinese-influence-scandal">reported</a> the switch was motivated by housing policies.
In one of his reports to Chinese officials, Sun said that he had “orchestrated and organized my team to win the election for city council” for “Individual 1,” whom he described as a “new political star.”
“Throughout 2022, defendant also worked as the campaign advisor for Individual 1, who was running for City Council in a Southern California city. Individual 1 was elected to the City Council in November 2022,” the sentencing memo said.
The Los Angeles Times reported that Sun was Wang’s fiancé and that he helped bring in donations from sources tied to the Chinese government. Wang previously said she ended her romantic relationship with Sun about eight months before he faced federal charges.
“We broke up the fiancé relationship,” Wang <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-05-02/china-allegedly-tried-to-influence-this-politician-she-says-shes-not-going-anywhere">said</a> in April 2025. “We keep the friendship.”
Additionally, Sun spied on then-Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen in April 2023 when she visited the United States, and he published a website “targeting the local Chinese-American population&#8221; at the direction of PRC Consulate officials, according to the sentencing memo.
Investigators said that Sun worked with John Chen, a “high-level member of the PRC intelligence apparatus,” who previously pleaded guilty to acting as a foreign agent for China. Chen was <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/california-man-sentenced-acting-illegal-agent-prc-government-and-bribery">sentenced</a> for his efforts to repress U.S.-based practitioners of Falun Gong, a persecuted religious minority in China.
In one report submitted to Chinese officials, Sun said he had been in the United States since 1996 to “persist in resisting any hostile forces that undermine the friendship of US-China relations.&#8221;
The House Select Committee on China said the sentencing should serve as a warning for the United States.
&#8220;This case is what the Select Committee has warned for years: the Chinese Communist Party is actively targeting U.S. political systems, all the way down to local elections,&#8221; the committee <a href="https://x.com/ChinaSelect/status/2021270689332764734">said</a>. &#8220;A China-directed agent orchestrated efforts to elect a city council candidate, pushed CCP propaganda through a fake local news outlet, and reported directly to PRC officials, all while on U.S. soil.&#8221;

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Man Who Worked For California Mayor Sentenced To Prison For Spreading CCP Propaganda

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Man Who Worked For California Mayor Sentenced To Prison For Spreading CCP Propaganda