The FBI has arrested a 34-year-old California woman accused of acting as an unregistered agent for China and surveilling the son of Taiwan President Lai Ching-te and his family in the United States.
Wanying “Heather” Zhang, an Irvine-based real estate agent, was arrested Sunday at Los Angeles International Airport as she prepared to board a flight to Shanghai, according to federal authorities. She has been charged with acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign government.
According to an FBI criminal complaint, Zhang allegedly traveled to Seattle in September 2025 with an associate and went to the suburban residence of Lai’s son, Lai Ting-yu. Investigators allege that the pair photographed or recorded the family as they arrived at their home and collected vehicle license plate information.
Federal prosecutors allege that Zhang sent photographs, video and other information to individuals she believed were Chinese government officials. Investigators say messages recovered from her iCloud account included communications in which she reported seeing the target and said she was recording him.
The FBI complaint alleges Zhang was introduced to a Chinese official through a former classmate from Beijing’s University of International Relations. Investigators say she later met the official in China and was given a surveillance assignment.
Federal officials said the alleged surveillance could have intelligence value because information about the homes, vehicles and whereabouts of relatives of senior Taiwanese officials could potentially be used to exert pressure during a future conflict.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli accused Zhang of using covert methods to avoid detection and said she never notified U.S. authorities that she was allegedly acting on behalf of a foreign government. The charge carries significant federal penalties if proven in court.
Taiwan’s presidential office condemned the alleged activity as an example of what it described as “transnational repression” and thanked U.S. authorities for protecting Taiwanese citizens. Chinese officials had not immediately responded to requests for comment in the initial reports.
The arrest comes amid heightened tensions between Taiwan, which maintains its own government and democratic institutions, and China, which claims Taiwan as part of its territory. The United States does not maintain formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan but remains one of its most important security partners.
Zhang was scheduled to make her initial appearance in federal court in Los Angeles. It was not immediately clear whether she had retained an attorney. The allegations have not been proven in court, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
