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. “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. 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. 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 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. “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.