A California man has agreed to plead guilty to acting as an illegal agent for the Chinese government in Southern California while working as a campaign adviser for a local politician.

Sun Yaoning, also known as Mike Sun, is expected to appear in court in Los Angeles on Monday to enter his plea under a deal with federal prosecutors, according to a copy of the agreement available in online court records.

It was signed by Sun, his lawyer and a prosecutor earlier this month. If the plea is accepted by a judge, Sun could face a maximum sentence of up to 10 years in prison, the agreement says.

The US attorney’s office in Los Angeles declined to comment on the deal. Sun’s lawyer, Adam Olin, also declined to comment.

Under the agreement, Sun acknowledges acting as a foreign agent on behalf of the People’s Republic of China from 2022 to 2024 without notifying the US attorney general as required by law.

Sun is a Chinese citizen living in the US legally, the US attorney’s office said.