Wanying Zhang Enters Not Guilty Plea in Federal Chinese Espionage Case
Southern California realtor Wanying Zhang pleads not guilty to charges of acting as an unregistered Chinese agent. Trial set for November in Santa Ana.
POLICY WIRE — Los Angeles, USA — Wanying Zhang, a 34-year-old Southern California real estate agent, formally entered a not guilty plea on Friday in a Los Angeles federal courtroom regarding accusations that she operated as an unregistered agent for the Chinese government.
Dressed in a white jumpsuit and wearing shackles, Zhang spoke only to contest the federal charges. Prosecutors allege she conducted surveillance on the son of the Taiwanese president in a Seattle suburb during September 2025.
The defendant was taken into custody earlier this month at Los Angeles International Airport as she attempted to board a flight bound for China. She currently faces a single count of acting as an unregistered foreign agent within the United States.
The legal proceedings are now moving toward a trial where the Justice Department is expected to present evidence detailing her alleged conspiracy with Chinese intelligence officials. Prosecutors have characterized her activities as a targeted spy mission.
Zhang and her husband, Edric Ding, have worked together as realtors at an Irvine-based firm. While Ding attended previous court appearances, he was absent from Friday’s brief hearing.
Recent court filings from prosecutors suggest Zhang was involved in an affair with Fatai Miao, a construction entrepreneur who reportedly joined her on the surveillance trip to Washington state. Miao has since departed Southern California on a one-way flight to China.
A pretrial hearing has been scheduled for Nov. 12. The trial is slated to commence on Nov. 30 at the federal courthouse in Santa Ana, California, with proceedings expected to span four days.
Both the prosecution and Zhang’s defense attorney, Craig Harbaugh, opted not to provide comments following the hearing.
Reporting by Policy-Wire (PW)
