LOS ANGELES
Yaoning Sun, a San Bernardino County political operative, was sentenced to four years in federal prison for secretly acting as an agent of the People’s Republic of China while advising a successful Southern California city council campaign, officials stated Monday.
Sun, 65, of Chino Hills, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge R. Gary Klausner after pleading guilty in October 2025 to acting as an illegal agent of a foreign government.
Prosecutors said Sun worked at the direction of Chinese officials from at least 2022 to January 2024, helping organize a team to elect a local politician, running a pro-China news website, and promoting PRC propaganda in the U.S.
He also provided real-time surveillance updates to Chinese officials during a 2023 Southern California visit by Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen.
Court records show Sun sought funding from Chinese officials for political activities and reported that he helped orchestrate a city council victory during the 2022 midterms.
A co-conspirator, John Chen, was sentenced in 2024 to 20 months in prison in New York. The FBI investigated the case.