A real estate agent from California, Wanying Zhang, has been accused of gathering intelligence on a relative of Taiwan’s president for the Chinese government. She sought to be released from federal custody on Wednesday, proposing over $800,000 in property equity and financial assurances while contesting the prosecution’s assertion that she represented a flight risk.
The 34-year-old from Irvine argued, through her attorney, that her status as a U.S. citizen, her family connections, and her travel history pointed to her reliability in attending future court hearings. This argument was detailed in a defense filing that spanned nine pages.
Zhang was arrested on Sunday at Los Angeles International Airport, where she was preparing to board a flight to China. She is facing charges for acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign government.
Her lawyer, Craig Harbaugh, informed the court that Zhang immigrated to the United States in 2014, became a naturalized citizen in 2020, and has approximately ten years of experience in the Orange County real estate market. According to the filing, she lives with her husband and their two young daughters, aged 8 and 5.
To secure her release, the defense is proposing an Irvine property with at least $700,000 in equity, along with financial guarantees totaling $120,000 from her family members and a family friend. They also suggested measures such as GPS-monitored home detention, surrender of travel documents, monitoring of electronic devices, and restrictions on entering airports or contacting individuals related to the case.
While Pretrial Services recommended that she remain detained due to concerns over her potential to skip court appearances, the defense argued that strict conditions could sufficiently address those worries.
Zhang’s legal team challenged the importance of her one-way ticket to China, stating she often books international trips using separate tickets for departure and return. The filing noted that in the past year, she traveled to China, France, and Japan but returned to the U.S. after each trip. The planned trip to China in October was purportedly to visit her mother and had been postponed until after her daughters’ birthdays.
According to the criminal complaint, Zhang was involved in a surveillance operation in September 2025 outside the residence of a close relative of a Taiwanese government official. An FBI affidavit indicated that investigators had reviewed security footage that allegedly showed her and another person photographing the relative and their family near their home.
Federal authorities also claimed that Zhang sent photographs, videos, and vehicle information to an individual suspected to be a Chinese government official through electronic communication. Investigators noted that she attended the University of International Relations in Beijing, which the FBI links closely to Chinese intelligence.
Zhang’s attorneys contest the allegations and assert that she is committed to proving her innocence. If convicted, she could face a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison.
