A California man, Yaoning “Mike” Sun, has agreed to plead guilty to charges of acting as an illegal agent for the Chinese government while serving as a campaign advisor for a local politician in Southern California. Sun, a Chinese citizen legally residing in the U.S., is expected to appear in court in Los Angeles on Monday to enter his plea under a deal with federal prosecutors. The agreement, signed earlier this month by Sun, his attorney, and a prosecutor, stipulates that Sun could face a maximum sentence of up to 10 years in prison if the plea is accepted by a judge.
According to the plea deal, Sun admitted to acting as a foreign agent on behalf of the People’s Republic of China from 2022 to 2024 without notifying the U.S. attorney general, as required by law. The case against Sun was filed during President Joe Biden’s administration amid growing concerns that the Chinese government had established a network of operatives to influence local U.S. elections to install politicians favorable to Beijing. Sun was accused of conspiring with Chen Jun, who was previously sentenced to 20 months in prison for similar charges.
Sun allegedly received instructions from Chinese government officials to post pro-Beijing content on a website he co-managed with another individual, who later became a successful local candidate in 2022. Sun served as a campaign advisor for this individual and drafted a report for Chinese officials seeking funding and assignments for further pro-Beijing activities. The individual involved has not been named in court documents.
Sun was listed as a campaign treasurer for Arcadia City Council candidate Eileen Wang in February 2022, according to city records. Arcadia, a city northeast of Los Angeles with a significant Asian population, has stated that Sun had no official affiliation with the city. Arcadia City Manager Dominic Lazzaretto confirmed that Wang has not been charged and plans to cooperate with federal officials. Messages left for Wang at Arcadia City Hall have not yet been returned.