CA mayor’s former fiancé sentenced in China spy scandal

An insider who once moved easily through Democrat circles will now spend four years in federal prison after admitting he worked as a covert agent for Communist China.

Federal prosecutors announced Yaoning “Mike” Sun has been sentenced to 48 months behind bars for acting as an illegal agent of the People’s Republic of China (PRC).

During the time he was spying for China, Sun was also allegedly the fiancé of Mayor Eileen Wang of Arcadia, California, noted local CBS News in Los Angeles.

The Department of Justice said Sun worked to help a U.S. politician named “Individual 1” get elected to a local city council in 2022.

Individual 1 has been identified as Wang, according to local media.

Wang seemingly confirmed both relationships publicly before Sun was arrested.

“To my fiancé, Mike Sun, who walked streets with me every single day, who is a real leader of me,” Wang said in a 2022 council meeting, according to the local CBS station.

After Sun was charged, Wang denied the romantic connection, saying, “Whoever wants to say he’s my former fiancé, please prove it,” said the news outlet.

Sun’s work as a political operative was secretly advancing the interests of Beijing’s Communist regime inside the United States, the DOJ said.

“Federal law enforcement will not allow hostile foreign nations to infiltrate the governance of our nation’s political bodies,” said Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli. “The relentlessness of PRC intelligence operations in our country must be met by equal relentlessness on our part to secure, protect, and defend the United States.”

Sun was highly embedded in other American political networks while coordinating with Chinese officials.

Sun’s activities included working to influence local political campaigns and attempting to shape American public life in ways favorable to Beijing.

The DOJ said some of Sun’s activities included running a news site, tracking foreign political leaders such as Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-Wen when she visited the U.S., along with surveillance of groups in the U.S. such as Falun Gong, which is opposed to the Communist regime.

Sun “requested $80,000 from the PRC government to fund a pro-PRC demonstration at a Fourth of July parade in Washington, D.C.,” the DOJ noted.

Sun worked with a primary co-conspirator named John Chen, who apparently enjoyed direct access to Communist Party President Xi Jinping.

“Chen was a high-level member of the PRC intelligence apparatus, who regularly attended elite [Chinese Communist Party] functions, including military parades…” and “…met personally with PRC President Xi Jinping,” the DOJ said. “Per his own report, and other communications between Chen and PRC officials, [Sun] served as Chen’s right-hand man in the United States for decades.”

Chen was previously convicted of being an illegal foreign agent and attempting to bribe an IRS agent to target Falun Gong in the U.S.

In November, he was sentenced to 20 months in prison.

Mayor Wang said in May she would not be resigning from office over the controversy, claiming she was not involved in Sun’s alleged wrongdoing, reported the Los Angeles Times.

Despite her denials, in May Wang seemed to confirm her romantic relationship with Sun.

“We broke up the fiancé relationship,” Wang said referring to Sun, according to the Times. “We keep the friendship.”

Former Councilmember Sheng Chang, who ran against Wang in 2022, said he isn’t mollified by Wang’s disclosures.

“I have a lot of questions,” Chang told the Times, noting he was stunned by Wang’s fundraising prowess.

The Times claims its own records show Sun “lent money” to Wang’s campaign and “helped bring in donations – some of which came from sources with ties to the Chinese government.”

Wang raised $119,000 compared to her opponent’s self-funded $34,000.

Wang was endorsed by marquee California Democrats, including: L.A. County Supervisor Hilda Solis; U.S. Rep. Judy Chu; and Michael Eng, Chu’s husband and former state Assemblymember, the Times said.

In another case this week further demonstrating the “relentlessness” of Chinese communist recruitment schemes in the U.S., Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced charges against 11 individuals in Florida in a marriage fraud scheme targeting U.S. service members.

In return for cash payments, the subjects were to enter into sham marriages for immigration purposes.

“Through the dedication and expertise of our agents and partners, we have successfully investigated, disrupted and dismantled a sophisticated criminal network operating across borders,” ICE said.

In addition to the marriage fraud, the scheme involved issuing unauthorized but authentic military IDs in exchange for cash.

Photo credit: KTSA