California real estate agent accused of Chinese espionage denied bail over crypto ties
Wanying Zhang, charged with spying for China on a Taiwanese family, was deemed a flight risk and ordered into custody after prosecutors highlighted a $190,000 secret crypto account.
Wanying Zhang, a Southern California real estate agent, faced a federal court in Los Angeles where prosecutors alleged she spied for the People’s Republic of China on the son of Taiwan President Ching-te Lai. They presented evidence that she controlled a secret crypto account containing $190,000 and was still receiving its profits, and pointed to her brother’s ties to Chinese authorities. The government also highlighted a dozen one-way trips Zhang took to China, Paris and Japan, arguing these underscored her flight-risk potential.
Judge Steve Kim, after hearing from her new lawyer Craig Harbaugh, denied the request for home confinement and ordered her detention by U.S. Marshals without bail. Zhang, who was arrested at LAX while attempting to board a flight to Shanghai, will return to court on October 19. The case underscores concerns about Chinese intelligence leveraging Chinese-American citizens for overseas operations.
Why it matters
The case illustrates how foreign espionage networks may exploit U.S. residents and cryptocurrency to fund covert activities.
How this story developed
- Oct 4 FBI detains California realtor accused of spying on Taiwanese president’s son in Seattle
- Oct 5 A criminal complaint has been filed against Zhang.
- Oct 5 Authorities obtained Zhang’s iCloud data showing WeChat communications with Chinese officials.
In this story
Related stories
10 in this thread