US EditionCalifornia Man Sentenced for Spying for China as Campaign Aide
Yaoning Sun covertly supported pro-China political efforts and surveilled targets, leading to a four-year prison sentence for acting as an unregistered agent of the Chinese government.
- On Monday, Yaoning Sun, 65, of Chino Hills, was sentenced to four years in federal prison after pleading guilty in October to acting as an illegal agent of a foreign government.
- Throughout 2022 to January 2024, Yaoning Sun, 65, of Chino Hills, obeyed directions from Chinese officials and worked as a campaign adviser helping a politician in Arcadia with donations, some from sources tied to China.
- During the April 2023 visit of then‑President Tsai Ing‑Wen, Yaoning Sun, 65, of Chino Hills, sent real‑time updates and photographs to Chinese officials while also countering Falun Gong and publishing pro‑PRC propaganda on a joint news site.
- Federal prosecutors recommended 60 months imprisonment and supervised release, public defenders urged no more than 15 months, and Roman Rozhavsky, assistant director of the FBI's Counterintelligence and Espionage Division, praised the sentence as accountability.
- Sun cooperated with John Chen , a high-level Chinese intelligence agent who met Xi Jinping and was sentenced in November 2024, aligning with a National Counterintelligence and Security Center bulletin warning that China targets U.S. state and local elected officials.
18 Articles
18 Articles
Man sentenced to 4 years for acting as agent for China while working for California politician
According to the plea deal, Yaoning “Mike” Sun, received instructions from Chinese government officials to post pro-Beijing content on a website he ran with another individual who became a candidate for local office and won election in 2022.
Associated Press News
California man sentenced to 4 years for acting as Beijing’s agent while working for local politician
A California man has been sentenced to four years in prison for acting as an illegal agent for the Chinese government while working as a campaign adviser for a local politician.
Chinese Man Gets 4-Year Prison Sentence for Acting as Illegal Agent for China
A Chinese man who previously advised a Southern California city council member has been sentenced to four years in federal prison for acting as an illegal agent of the Chinese regime, federal prosecutors said. Sun Yaoning, also known as Mike Sun, was arrested in December 2024. He pleaded guilty in October 2025 to one count of acting as an agent of a foreign government without prior notification to the U.S. Attorney General, from 2022 to 2024. U.…
Man Who Worked For California Mayor Sentenced To Prison For Spreading CCP Propaganda
A man who once worked for the current mayor of a California city was sentenced to four years in prison for covertly spreading Chinese Communist Party propaganda.Yaoning “Mike” Sun, 65, was sentenced to 48 months in prison on Monday by U.S. District Judge R. Gary Klausner for acting as an illegal agent for China from 2022 to 2024. Sun once worked on the city council campaign of Democrat Eileen Wang, the current mayor of the Southern California ci…
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- 35% of the sources lean Left, 35% of the sources are Center
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