LOS ANGELES — A Southern California man who once worked as the treasurer for the city council campaign of an Arcadia politician pleaded guilty Monday, Oct. 27, in downtown Los Angeles to illegally acting on behalf of the People’s Republic of China.
Yaoning “Mike” Sun, 65, of Chino Hills, entered a plea in downtown Los Angeles to a federal count of acting as an illegal agent of a foreign power, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Sentencing is set for Feb. 9, at which time Sun could face up to 10 years behind bars.
Court papers show Sun worked for an unnamed Southern California politician who was running for city council of a city in the area — not named in court documents — three years ago. The candidate was elected to the council in November 2022.
Sources familiar with the case say the unnamed politician is Arcadia’s now-Mayor Pro Tem Eileen Wang.
Email and phone messages left for Wang on Monday were not immediately answered.
In December, after federal charges were filed against Sun, Arcadia City Manager Dominic Lazzaretto posted a letter to the community on the city’s website saying that Sun was listed as the treasurer for Wang’s campaign in 2022. Lazzaretto said Wang had spoken to the FBI and was not arrested or charged with any crimes and would fully cooperate with federal authorities.
Sun’s involvement with the city of Arcadia is considered an isolated incident, Lazzaretto wrote, with no known association with other members of the Arcadia City Council. Also, he said, Sun had no involvement whatsoever with Arcadia business or decision-making.
The criminal complaint against Sun in Los Angeles federal court charged him with acting as an illegal agent of a foreign power.
He was also charged with conspiring with another man, John Chen, also known as Chen Jun, who was sentenced to federal prison last year for acting as an illegal agent of the PRC and plotting to target United States-based practitioners of Falun Gong, a spiritual practice banned in China, federal prosecutors said.
Sun acknowledged in his plea agreement that at the direction and control of Chinese government officials, he coordinated with individuals in the U.S. to advance the interests of the PRC by, among other things, promoting pro-Beijing propaganda..
Federal prosecutors said that in February 2023, Sun drafted a report for PRC officials to solicit additional money for his work in the Southland. The report summarized his personal experience, including past service in the People’s Liberation Army.
In the report, according to Sun’s plea agreement, the defendant stated that he had worked in the United States to lead “delegations of U.S. dignitaries and cultural workers to China” and, during the 2022 midterms, helped the candidate thought to be Wang win the election for a city council seat in Arcadia. In the report, Sun called the candidate a “new political star,” the DOJ said.
Before acting on behalf of the PRC, Sun admitted, he did not notify the United States attorney general, as required by law, that he was acting in the U.S. as an agent of the PRC, according to the plea agreement.
During the city council campaign, Sun allegedly communicated with Chen regarding his efforts to get the politician elected. Chen discussed with Chinese government officials how the PRC could “influence” local politicians in the United States, particularly on the issue of Taiwan, according to the complaint.
In November 2022, shortly after the politician was elected to the city council, Chen instructed Sun to prepare a report on the election that was sent to Chinese government officials, who responded positively and expressed thanks, according to the complaint affidavit.
Chen also sent a message to the newly elected politician stating that the politician was “doing a good job, I hope you can continue the good work, make Chinese people proud,” the affidavit states.
About a month after the election, Chen arranged a lunch at a Rowland Heights restaurant with Sun and others, a gathering that Chen described to a PRC official as a “core member lunch,” the affidavit says.
Court papers state Chen subsequently described the lunch as “successful” as participants agreed to establish a “U.S.-China Friendship Promotional Association.”
“This case highlights the breadth of the PRC’s relentless intelligence and malign influence activities targeting the United States,” according to a statement from Akil Davis, assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles bureau, when charges were brought against Sun.