The FBU arrested Wanying “Heather” Zhang, a Chinese national, for allegedly surveilling the Taiwanese president’s son, who lives in America.
“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,” First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli wrote on X.
Essayli added: “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.”
We just arrested a Chinese foreign agent at LAX attempting to depart for China.
Wanying Zhang, aka “Heather,” 34, of Irvine, was arrested today by @FBILosAngeles on a federal complaint charging her with acting as an unregistered agent of the People’s Republic of China.… pic.twitter.com/6YHoeErg5B
— F.A. United States Attorney Bill Essayli (@USAttyEssayli) October 4, 2026
Whang’s initial court appearance happens today in Los Angeles.
CBS obtained the criminal complaint, but didn’t link to it. I’m hoping the DOJ publishes the complaint after the court appearance:
A criminal complaint, filed in federal court by a member of the FBI’s counterintelligence squad in L.A., accused Zhang and an accomplice of traveling to Seattle, Washington, in September 2025 and taking pictures at the suburban home of a top Taiwanese official’s family.
Law enforcement sources told CBS News that the target was Ting-Yu Lai, the son of Taiwanese President Ching-Te Lai.
Ting-Yu, an engineer in his 30s, attended college in America and has a young U.S.-born son with his wife, Hsiao Chen, according to Taiwanese media reports. He now works for the Dutch multinational electronics firm Philips.
Zhang and her husband Edric Ding work as realtors for JC Pacific Capital in Irvine, CA.
“I don’t know anything yet,” Ding told CBS News.
The complaint included images from a neighbor’s security camera that allegedly show Zhang and her accomplice filming Ting-YU and his family.
The complaint alleges Zhang then messaged her Chinese handler that she saw Ting-YU and recorded him.
The message included two license plate numbers.
Officials said Zhang’s involvement with the Chinese government began in June 2025:
The complaint claims Zhang was introduced in June 2025 to one of the Chinese government officials by a classmate from her alma mater, Beijing’s University of International Relations, which Holt said has close ties to the Ministry of State Security.
Holt’s affidavit claims Zhang booked a private room in Changsha, China, during a June 2025 trip, where she allegedly met the government official and received her surveillance mission.
She later texted the official, “I can take care of this thing,” according to the complaint.
On Aug. 26, 2025, Zhang wrote: “I will be busy with work in L.A. this week. I will probably go to Seattle next week,” and the official replied: “Ok. Thank you for your hard work,” the complaint said.
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