A California real estate agent, accused of conducting surveillance on a Taiwanese official’s family for the Chinese government, was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) as she attempted to fly to China, according to federal authorities. Wanying Zhang, 34, known as “Heather,” was detained after allegedly working with an associate to photograph and record the family outside their residence in the Seattle area.
According to a criminal complaint, Zhang allegedly carried out these activities at the behest of Chinese officials, violating U.S. laws by acting as an unregistered agent of China. First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli confirmed her arrest when she was about to board a flight to Shanghai.
“We just arrested a Chinese foreign agent at LAX attempting to depart for China,” Essayli noted.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) charged Zhang with operating as an unregistered agent of the People’s Republic of China. She reportedly traveled to Seattle in 2025, capturing photos, videos, and license plate data, and shared this information with Chinese contacts.
Essayli emphasized that Zhang orchestrated the trip with an associate while employing covert strategies to evade detection. He also highlighted that Zhang, a naturalized U.S. citizen, failed to inform the Attorney General of her foreign government activities, thus committing a federal offense.
The surveillance reportedly targeted a family member of Taiwan’s president, specifically Ting-Yu Lai, who is based in the U.S. FBI Director Kash Patel further warned international adversaries against using the U.S. for espionage.
“Foreign adversaries take note: America is no longer a safe place to run your espionage operations,” Patel cautioned.
Allegedly directed by Chinese officials, Zhang and her associate flew from Las Vegas to Seattle, where they rented a Nissan Rogue for their operations. Surveillance footage reportedly caught them using phones to capture images of the family as they returned home.
FBI Special Agent Kevin Holt detailed how Zhang communicated with her associate to transfer pictures using AirDrop, an action taken to circumvent detection. She reportedly received her assignment in a June 2025 meeting with a Chinese government contact in China. Holt underlined the potential risks if such surveillance information were used by Beijing against Taiwan’s leadership.
Essayli remarked on the broader threat of espionage across the U.S., noting that China employs individuals already in the country. Although Zhang is facing court proceedings, the case underscores a broader pattern of alleged foreign influence activities.
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