A 34-year-old Irvine real estate agent is in federal custody after the FBI stopped her at LAX just before a flight to Shanghai. Authorities say Wanying “Heather” Zhang was working as an unregistered agent for China and had already conducted surveillance on the U.S.-based son of Taiwan’s president.
Zhang, 34, was arrested Sunday, October 4, 2026. First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli announced the arrest on X, stating she faced a federal complaint charging her with acting as an unregistered agent of the People’s Republic of China.
“According to the affidavit, Zhang traveled to Seattle in 2025 and, at the direction of PRC officials, surveilled a close relative of a Taiwanese government official, sending photos, videos, and license plate information to those officials,”
Essayli said.
“She coordinated the trip with an associate and used tradecraft to avoid detection. She never notified the Attorney General she was acting for a foreign government, a federal offense.”
The criminal complaint, signed by FBI Special Agent Kevin Holt of the Los Angeles counterintelligence squad, lays out the timeline. In June 2025, Zhang was allegedly introduced to a Chinese government contact by a former classmate from Beijing’s University of International Relations, an institution the agent said has ties to China’s Ministry of State Security. She later traveled to Changsha, China, for a meeting.
On September 1, 2025, Zhang and an associate identified only as “Individual 1” flew from Las Vegas to Seattle, rented a black SUV, and drove to a suburban residence. Neighbor security camera footage allegedly shows the pair filming family members arriving home. Zhang then messaged a contact on WeChat:
“Saw him. Young male. It’s that young one,” and “I am videorecording,”
Followed by two license plate numbers. Investigators recovered those messages via a search warrant on her iCloud account.
The FBI’s public statements initially described the target only as a close relative of a senior Taiwanese government official. Subsequent reporting by CBS News, citing law-enforcement sources, and other outlets identified him as Lai Ting-yu, the U.S.-based son of Taiwan President Lai Ching-te. Lai Ting-yu is an engineer in his 30s who lives in the Seattle area with his wife and young son.
The complaint argues that details about the location, vehicles, and movements of close relatives of a high-ranking Taiwanese official
“could be useful to the PRC if it wished to obtain leverage over the President of Taiwan during any potential conflict.”
Taiwan’s Presidential Office called the alleged operation a “typical case of transnational repression.” Spokesperson Karen Kuo said,
“Our country expresses the strongest condemnation of such barbaric conduct that disregards human rights and the sovereignty of nations,”
And thanked U.S. authorities for protecting Taiwanese citizens.
China’s Foreign Ministry and the Chinese Embassy in Washington did not immediately provide detailed comment in early reporting. Some accounts noted Beijing has previously criticized the “sensationalizing” of alleged Chinese spy cases.
Zhang was scheduled to appear in federal court in Los Angeles on October 5. She is presumed innocent until proven guilty. It was not immediately clear whether she had retained counsel.
