The FBI launched a sweeping corruption investigation in Southern California this week, raiding properties linked to three local political figures and a Chinese-language media executive, as federal investigators examine possible concerns about foreign influence.
Agents executed search warrants involving San Bernardino County Supervisor Kurt Hagman, Ontario Assemblyman Alan Wapner, and attorney Frank Lizarraga, the main targets of the investigation.
James Su, CEO of Chinese-American media company EDI Media, is a secondary target in the investigation.
Federal agents searched homes and offices throughout Southern California, including locations linked to Hagman, Fabner, Lizarraga, and Sue.
Investigators also searched EDI Media’s offices in West Covina and a Beverly Hills mansion and obtained records connected to the Ontario International Airport.
A source close to the investigation described the matter as a public corruption investigation with a potential foreign influence element.
The FBI confirmed the addresses where the arrest warrants were executed, but the agency did not disclose the nature of the allegations being investigated.
The search warrant affidavits remain sealed, and federal officials declined to comment on the case.
No arrests have been made.
The raids come as US authorities continue to investigate concerns that the Chinese government has sought to enhance its influence among US officials and institutions.
Both Hagman and Wapner work for the Ontario International Airport Authority, where Wapner is president.
The Los Angeles Times reported that FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller confirmed that a related search warrant had been served at the airport.
Investigators also requested records from Ontario City Hall.
Lizarraga is a prominent civil litigator, a University of La Verne trustee and a former Ontario Planning Commissioner.
He previously worked for the Southern California Association of Governments, a regional planning organization representing six counties.
The FBI operation follows the guilty plea of former Arcadia Mayor Elaine Wang, who admitted to charges brought against her by the Chinese government for promoting propaganda in the United States.
Prosecutors alleged that Wang helped operate U.S. News Center, a website that portrayed itself as a news source for Chinese Americans while carrying out directives from the Chinese government.
Su’s company EDI Media donated $500 to Wang’s campaign on October 10, 2022.
Su’s lawyer, Andrew Kwan, said his client is a US citizen who has donated to political campaigns across the political spectrum and does not know why the FBI searched properties linked to him.
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Kwan said Su knew only Hagman among the individuals associated with the searches.
EDI Media, which describes itself as the largest Chinese-American multimedia company in the United States, registered as a foreign agent in May 2022 after previously printing the American edition of a newspaper considered a “foreign mission” for the Chinese government.
The company operates bilingual digital platforms, radio networks and TV channels, and produces a Chinese-American film festival.
EDI Media says it produces more than 2,000 hours of programming annually and reaches more than 35 million people around the world.
Agents also searched a 21,000-square-foot Beverly Hills mansion at 613 North Cannon Drive, Fox 11 reported.
Public records show that the property was sold in 2023 for $24.6 million by Kurdish General Mansour Panzani to a mainland Chinese family through two companies, including one registered in Delaware.
The latest FBI activity comes on the heels of another federal investigation in Lancaster, where agents searched City Hall and the homes of two council members.
The authorities did not reveal the details of this investigation.
However, a source who has seen the arrest warrant said investigators sought connections between city officials and Chinese electric vehicle maker BYD, which operates a major bus manufacturing facility in Lancaster.
No arrests have been made.
The investigations have raised concerns among intelligence officials that Beijing has tried to expand its influence in the United States by building relationships with local elected leaders.
U.S. Rep. Norma Torres (D-Pomona) said she was “deeply concerned by reports that the FBI has executed warrants against elected officials in San Bernardino County. I await more information, but our community has zero tolerance for corruption at any level of our government.”
The FBI investigation remains active as federal agents continue to examine the allegations behind the sealed arrest warrants.