Who is the politician at the center of the latest Chinese influence scandal?

An Arcadia City Council member is the fiancée of a man charged by federal prosecutors this week with acting as an illegal agent for the Chinese government by attempting to influence local politicians, according to court records and interviews.

The personal relationship between Eileen Wang, elected two years ago to the council of the San Gabriel Valley suburb, and Yaoning “Mike” Sun deepens questions around what Wang knew about an alleged plot to push pro-China policies, particularly regarding Taiwan.

In the criminal complaint against Sun, prosecutors referred to a local politician, “Individual 1,” alleging that Sun and his Chinese government contacts were cultivating the politician in hopes that she would rise in politics and help them strengthen China’s influence in California.

Two sources familiar with the investigation identified Wang as Individual 1. The complaint described Sun as Individual 1’s campaign manager and business partner and said the address Sun had registered with the DMV was a home owned by Individual 1.

Prosecutors have not charged Wang with a crime. A source familiar with the case, who spoke to The Times on the condition of anonymity, said there was no evidence at this time that Wang knew of the alleged Chinese government activities. Wang did not respond to repeated requests for comment.

The complaint described extensive interactions between Sun and John Chen, also known as Chen Jun, who was sentenced to federal prison last month for acting as an illegal Chinese agent and plotting against Falun Gong, a spiritual practice banned in China. The two discussed sending detailed information about Individual 1, including her connections to other U.S. politicians, to Chinese government officials, according to messages federal investigators found on Chen’s phone and described in the complaint.

According to the complaint, Sun’s LinkedIn listed him as head of U.S. News Center, a media site he runs with Wang.

Court records also reveal close ties between Wang and Sun. The two are registered on several business filings together, including for the American Southwest Chamber of Commerce, an association intended to “promote communication of American southwest people of China,” according to incorporation filings.

Read more: Chinese government planted agent in SoCal with mission to influence local government, feds allege

Michelle Wu, who worked for the chamber of commerce, sued both Wang and Sun for defamation last year. Wu alleged in the lawsuit that the two had unjustly accused her of stealing money from the group, which she denied.

As part of that lawsuit, Wang stated in a court document that she was engaged to Sun. Wu said in an interview that the couple had been together since about 2018.

The charges against Sun sent shock waves through the San Gabriel Valley’s large Chinese community, where both Sun and Wang have established high profiles in recent years — Wang through elected office and Sun for organizing community events.

“He has a big name in the Chinese community,” said Daniel Deng, an attorney in Rosemead who represents many Chinese clients. “He’s been very active in Southern California for a long time.”

Residents said Sun threw and promoted numerous events in the community, including a Lunar New Year festival in the San Gabriel Valley. He was considered quiet and not especially active politically. One resident said the allegations that he was working with Chinese government officials went off “like a bomb in the community.”

Deng said he saw Sun and Wang in the lobby of the Sheraton in San Gabriel on Wednesday evening, leaving the Miss Asia International 2024 Pageant with another Arcadia City Council member. He said he got to know them when Wang ran for office.

“My friends this morning, they said, ‘Mike got arrested!'” Deng said Thursday. “I said, ‘This is not possible. I saw them last night.'”

Speaking with The Times last month for a story about Asian American voters, Wang said she moved to Southern California from China 30 years ago. Her mother was a Chinese medicine and acupuncture doctor and her father was a physician in Sichuan province before working at USC, she said.

The complaint alleged that Chen directed Sun to prepare an update to the Chinese government on Individual 1’s election. Sun responded with a short biography of the politician, noting that she immigrated to the U.S. from Chengdu — a city in Sichuan — in 1995.

Wang, a mother of two, said she has been rooted in Arcadia for the last 18 years. Two people who know her said that before she entered politics, she was mainly known for running an after-school program in Arcadia called Little Stanford Academy.

Wang said she did five rounds of door-knocking in her district during her 2022 campaign and decided to switch from the Republican to the Democratic Party, swayed by housing policies espoused by the left that voters seemed to need, such as rental assistance.

Wang beat Sheng Chang, a longtime council member, for a seat on the council in the majority-Asian city. She said she became the Arcadia City Council’s first female member from China, as well as its first Asian American Democrat. After the Nov. 5 election, the council became all Asian American — possibly a first in California, according to council members.

Read more: In Arcadia and Temple City, Asian American voters fueled gains for Trump

“I talked with my district — I realized people needed me,” Wang told The Times last month. “I needed to do something for them.”

U.S. Atty. Martin Estrada has painted the case as part of a pattern of the Chinese government seeking to influence local officials who are not yet on the national stage — but could be soon.

According to the complaint, Chen asked Sun to prepare a report on Wang’s election for Chinese government officials and referred to the council member as a “new political star.”

This year, U.S. Rep. Judy Chu (D-Monterey Park) honored Wang as one of the “2024 Congressional Women of the Year.”

According to a press release, the award “is given to women nominated by people in their own cities and communities.” It’s unclear who nominated Wang, and Chu did not respond to a request for comment.

“Maybe they perceive Eileen to be their future star,” said Joaquin Lim, who served for 17 years on the Walnut City Council, noting that the Chinese government has little to gain from a politician who never moves up from the local level.

“That’s one of the angles — an anticipation of this person running for higher office,” he said.

Lim said he wasn’t surprised to hear about the indictment, noting a flood of headlines recently about the People’s Republic of China trying to curry favor with local politicians across the world. In September, prosecutors charged a former aide to the New York governor with using her position to benefit the Chinese government and block access for officials from Taiwan, which China considers part of its own territory.

“This is not just happening in America. It’s happening in England. It’s happening in Australia, it’s happening in Canada,” Lim said. “When I read about Eileen, I said, ‘OK, well, I’m just surprised, in this case it’s the San Gabriel Valley.’”

San Gabriel Mayor John Wu was elected around the same time as Eileen Wang. He said he has seen her at events in the region — including for groups that have strong ties to Taiwan — and has never had any suspicions about her. He finds it hard to believe she would be caught up in any of this.

“In my view, there’s no need for any foreign government to interfere with local politicians or elections,” Wu said.”Local governments are focused on community and decisions like determining which road we should pave and how we allocate a budget.”

But Wu is concerned that the situation could unfairly cast suspicion on local Chinese American politicians.

“That could jeopardize the whole effort that Chinese American elected officials have been doing for years to serve the community,” he said. “It could cause a whole generation’s efforts to disappear.”

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.