
Status: Alleged.
In December 2024, the FBI arrested Yaoning “Mike” Sun, 64, for acting as a covert agent of the PRC. In 2022, Sun was the campaign manager for Eileen Wang, a city Council Member for Arcadia City in Southern California. He worked as campaign treasurer and manager to install Wang in a political position to (allegedly) influence American politics in favor of the PRC.
Sun and Wang have longstanding ties including owning multiple businesses together, sharing office and residential addresses, and working together at Sun’s company called the U.S. News Center. Wang stated that she was engaged to Sun in a civil court case against the couple in California.
The FBI alleges that Sun conspired with Mr. Chen Jun, 71, who was sentenced to federal prison in November 2024 for acting as an illegal agent of China in a plot to target U.S.-based practitioners of spiritual movement Falun Gong.[1],[2] Chen Jun was a very outspoken supporter of the CCP. He arranged pro CCP rallies and publicly threatened anti CCP protestors with Chinese government action. Chen was a member of PRC’s 610 Office tasked with eliminating Falun Gong worldwide.[3]
In 2022, Sun identified Eileen Wang to Chinese government officials as a “rising star” in California local politics. About a month after Wang’s election, Chen arranged a “core member lunch” at a Rowland Heights restaurant with Sun and others. In a message to Chinese officials, Chen described the lunch as “successful” because participants agreed to establish a “U.S.–China Friendship Promotional Association.” Chen described Wang as being part of the Association, with Sun serving as vice president. “This is the basic team dedicated for us,”. The Association was to support United Front activities in the US.[4] In March 2024, Wang was listed as agent for the newly formed Asian Americans Association of California, which is registered to 22 E Duarte Road Ca. 91006, the address Wang used for several businesses since 2011.[5] Some of these businesses were co-registered with Yaoning Sun.
In early 2023, Chen instructed Sun to write another report for Chinese officials describing their efforts in “cultivating and assisting in Wang’s election success”. In a February 2023 draft of Sun’s report, Sun described his personal background and his history of working against “Chinese secessionist forces” in the US. Additionally, he boasted that, “most proudly of all, during the 2022 U.S. midterm elections, I orchestrated and organized my team to win the election for city council member candidate…” Eileen Wang.
In subsequent communications, Chen instructed Sun to include a section on Wang’s connections to other prominent politicians. Chen and Sun highlighted their “past struggles fighting Taiwanese independence forces … over the years and fighting Falun Gong influences” in the US.[6] Sun and Chen revised the report to UFWD officials and requested an $80,000 budget to fund additional pro-China activities and to combat “anti-China forces” in the United States.[7]
Chen and Sun discussed a planned trip to China to meet with United Front Work Department leadership. Sun scheduled a meeting with the Chinese consul general in Los Angeles and then Sun and Wang traveled to China in late August 2023.
Tradecraft Analysis
· Sun, Chen, and Wang conducted personal meetings in the US and China.
· Sun, Chen, and Wang had many open phone conversations.
· Sun established a non-profit organization “U.S.–China Friendship Promotional Association” to cover covert influence activities.
· Sun identified Wang’s political contacts to expand covert influence operations.
· Officials in China instructed Chen to delete his chat history and messages from his cellular telephone. Chen complied.
· China based officials instructed Chen to use voice (not written) messages and a different cellphone to communicate with them.
· Sun and Chen conducted in-person meetings with Los Angeles based PRC Consulate officials and Washington, DC PRC embassy officials.
· Chen provided his resume (through Sun) to Los Angeles Consulate Officials.
· Chen identified to UFWD officials five non-profits to support China’s influence activities.
· Chen and Sun requested $80k in operating funds from the UFWD.
[1] The Chinese government carries out a global repression campaign against members of Falun Gong, which it regards as a cult and one of Five Poisons which must be eliminated.
[2] In New York and New Jersey, Chen coordinated extensively with PRC officials to recruit a government (IRS) official to eliminate Falun Gong’s non-profit status in the US.
[3] According to the FBI Criminal Complaint Chen bragged to a cellmate about being a member of 610 Office, “a Chinese spy agency”.
[4] There is no indication persons attending the lunch understood the true purpose.
[5] Other entities recently registered by Wang to that address include the Baldwin District Arcadia Improvement Association (2024), EWA Insurance Agency (2024), California Educational College (2024), Arcadie Premier Lions Club (20240, Price Fortune Accountancy Corporation (2023), and several others.
[6] United States vs. Yaoning “Mike” Sun, 2024.
[7] According to the FBI’s criminal complaint Sun drafted the report with Chen’s guidance provided telephonically.
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