Yaoning “Mike” Sun, 65, was sentenced to four years in federal prison in Los Angeles for acting as an illegal agent for the Chinese government. He worked as a campaign adviser for a local politician from 2022 to 2024 without telling US authorities, as required by law. Sun admitted to the charges in a plea deal last year. Roman Rozhavsky, assistant director at the FBI, said, "When Americans vote for elected officials, they expect them to represent the interests of their constituents – not those of a foreign adversary like the Chinese government." Prosecutors had asked for a five-year sentence. Sun’s lawyer argued for time served, saying Sun did not know he had to register as a foreign agent and had lived a law-abiding life since moving from China in 1996. The case came amid growing concerns that China was trying to influence US local elections by promoting politicians friendly to Beijing. According to the plea deal, Sun received instructions from Chinese officials to post pro-Beijing messages on a website he managed. He advised a candidate who won local office in 2022 and later drafted a report seeking funding for more pro-Beijing activities. Sun was listed as campaign treasurer for Arcadia City Council candidate Eileen Wang in 2022. Wang was recently sworn in as mayor of Arcadia, a city with a large Asian population near Los Angeles.