A California real estate agent accused of gathering intelligence for the Chinese government made an expensive bid to leave federal custody Wednesday.

Her proposal offered more than $800,000 in property equity and financial guarantees while challenging prosecutors’ claim that she posed a flight risk, as reported by Fox News.

Wanying Zhang, 34, of Irvine, argued through attorney Craig Harbaugh that her American citizenship, family connections and record of returning from overseas travel showed she would appear for future court proceedings.

The arguments appeared in a nine-page defense filing obtained by Fox News Digital.

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Federal authorities arrested Zhang on Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026, at Los Angeles International Airport as she prepared to board a flight to China. She faces a federal charge of acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign government.

We just arrested a Chinese foreign agent at LAX attempting to depart for China.

Wanying Zhang, aka “Heather,” 34, of Irvine, was arrested today by @FBILosAngeles on a federal complaint charging her with acting as an unregistered agent of the People’s Republic of China. According to the affidavit, Zhang traveled to Seattle in 2025 and, at the direction of PRC officials, surveilled a close relative of a Taiwanese government official, sending photos, videos, and license plate information to those officials. She coordinated the trip with an associate and used tradecraft to avoid detection. She never notified the Attorney General she was acting for a foreign government, a federal offense. She will appear in federal court in Los Angeles tomorrow for her initial appearance. Defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty. — F.A. United States Attorney Bill Essayli (@USAttyEssayli) October 4, 2026

Harbaugh told the court that Zhang came to the United States in 2014 and became a naturalized citizen in 2020. She has worked in Orange County real estate for approximately a decade, according to the filing.

Zhang lives with her husband and their two daughters, who are 8 and 5. Those family ties were among the circumstances her attorney cited while pressing for her release from custody.

The proposed security package centers on an Irvine residence with at least $700,000 in equity. An additional $120,000 in financial guarantees would come from Zhang’s husband, his sister, his father, and a family friend.

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Harbaugh also proposed home detention with GPS monitoring, surrender of Zhang’s travel documents and monitoring of her electronic devices. The suggested conditions would restrict her from entering airports or contacting people connected to the case.

Zhang’s lawyers disputed the importance prosecutors placed on her ticket to China, which covered travel in only one direction. The defense argued that she frequently arranged international travel by purchasing separate tickets for her outbound and return flights.

According to the filing, Zhang traveled to China, France and Japan during the previous year. She returned to the United States after each of those trips, a pattern her lawyers presented as evidence against the government’s flight risk argument.

The defense said Zhang planned the October journey to visit her mother. According to her lawyers, the trip had been postponed until after the birthdays of her two daughters.

The underlying criminal complaint alleges that Zhang participated in a surveillance operation in September 2025. The alleged operation occurred outside the Seattle area residence of a close relative of a Taiwanese government official.

An FBI affidavit said investigators reviewed security camera footage that allegedly showed Zhang and another person near the residence. Authorities alleged that the pair photographed the targeted person and family members close to their home.

Federal authorities further alleged that Zhang sent photographs, video, and vehicle information through electronic communications. The material allegedly went to a person investigators described as a suspected Chinese government official.

Investigators also said Zhang attended China’s University of International Relations in Beijing. The FBI described that university as closely associated with China’s intelligence apparatus.

Zhang’s attorneys are contesting the charge and maintain that she intends to establish her innocence. If convicted of acting as an unregistered foreign government agent, she faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison.

Central District of California US Attorney Bill Essayli discussed the recent arrest during an appearance on “The Big Weekend Show.”

The detention dispute now centers on whether Zhang’s proposed property security, financial guarantees, and monitoring conditions are sufficient to secure her release while the federal case proceeds.

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