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Judge orders Wanying “Heather” Zhang held in custody

The prosecution said Zhang’s family in China and her brother’s prior work with the Chinese government supported keeping her detained.

Reported · Written up by our desk · Trade & Tariffs

A federal judge ordered Wanying “Heather” Zhang held in custody after her lawyers asked to avoid jail while she fights for release ahead of trial, according to SCMP Economy.

Zhang’s defense argued the US case hinges on a single day of alleged surveillance in Seattle, and said prosecutors did not show she posed a flight risk; her lawyers wrote that the surveillance began and ended on September 1, 2025.

Prosecutors supported continued detention by pointing to Zhang’s parents and siblings living in China and to her brother’s history of working with the Chinese government, SCMP Economy reported, citing arguments before US Magistrate Judge Steve Kim.

The complaint, according to the defense, charges a single violation of the unregistered-agent statute tied to the alleged incident in Seattle.

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