The FBI arrested a 34-year-old California woman at Los Angeles International Airport on October 4, 2026. US prosecutors accuse her of acting as an unregistered agent of China and surveilling the US-based son of Taiwan's president. She has been charged and has not been convicted.
Wanying "Heather" Zhang lives in Irvine and works as a real-estate agent. She was stopped as she prepared to fly to Shanghai. First Assistant US Attorney Bill Essayli said she traveled to Seattle in 2025 at the direction of Chinese officials. He said she watched a close relative of a Taiwanese government official and sent photos, videos and vehicle details to those officials.
The FBI did not name the target at first. Later reports identified him as Lai Ting-yu, a son of Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te who lives in the United States.
.According to the FBI complaint, dated October 3, 2026, Zhang and another person flew from Las Vegas to Seattle on September 1, 2025. They rented a black Nissan Rogue and watched the family's home.
The complaint cites footage from a neighbor's security camera. It shows the pair apparently filming or photographing the family as they arrived home.
Investigators say Zhang sent her Chinese contacts photos, video and license plate numbers. They say they recovered WeChat messages from a search of her iCloud account. One reported message said, "I am videorecording," followed by two plate numbers.
The complaint says a former classmate from a Beijing university introduced Zhang to a Chinese official in June 2025. She allegedly met the official in Changsha, China, and received the assignment there. The FBI also says she asked her associate to send pictures by AirDrop to avoid detection. These are the FBI's allegations, not findings by a court.
FBI agent Kevin Holt wrote in the complaint that details about the homes, cars and locations of relatives of senior Taiwanese officials could give China leverage in a future conflict. That is the FBI's view of the possible use, not proof of how China planned to use it.
Taiwan's presidential office called the alleged operation a "typical case of transnational repression" and thanked the United States for protecting Taiwanese citizens. That term is Taiwan's description, not a court finding. China had not publicly responded in the latest reports. Zhang is accused of acting as an agent of a foreign government without notifying the Attorney General, which is covered by 18 U.S.C. §951.
The offense carries up to 10 years in prison. It is different from a charge of espionage.
Zhang is expected to make her first appearance in federal court in Los Angeles on October 5.
