An Orange County real estate agent accused of spying for China pleaded not guilty Friday in federal court in downtown Los Angeles.
Wanying Zhang, 34, of Irvine, also known as Heather, faces charges of conspiracy and acting as an unregistered foreign agent for China. Her trial is tentatively set for Nov. 30 in Santa Ana.
Zhang is presumed innocent unless proven guilty. She could face up to 10 years in federal prison if convicted.
The alleged operation began with meetings in China and ended with messages about a young man outside a U.S. home.
Zhang traveled from Southern California to China in June 2025, allegedly met with Chinese officials and received instructions to carry out surveillance in the United States.
On Aug. 29, 2025, Zhang and another person flew from John Wayne Airport to Las Vegas. Three days later, they boarded a flight to the state where the target lived, according to prosecutors.
As that trip began, Zhang sent a Chinese official a photograph of her boarding pass and a message saying, “Boarding now,” according to the complaint.
After arriving, the pair rented a car and drove to the home, where they watched the property.
“Saw him, young male, it’s the young one,” Zhang wrote to the official. When he asked her to join an audio call, she replied, “I am videorecording.”
Zhang allegedly also sent the official license plate numbers from two vehicles parked outside the home.
A home security camera recorded Zhang and her companion inside a vehicle near the house, apparently filming the target and his family, according to the FBI affidavit.
Investigators obtained records from the pair’s iCloud accounts through a court-approved search warrant on March 9. Those records allegedly linked Zhang to at least two Chinese officials.
The affidavit also described Zhang’s ties to a former classmate at Beijing’s University of International Relations. Investigators said the school had close connections to China’s intelligence services.
Zhang and the classmate stayed in touch after graduating around 2014, discussing their children, investments and life in China and the United States.
The former classmate later introduced her to another graduate who asked about “a U.S. house.” That man then arranged to meet her in China.
Prosecutors allege Zhang worked under Chinese officials’ direction from June through September 2025 without notifying the U.S. attorney general, as federal law requires.
The complaint does not allege that Zhang received money or another benefit for the work.
