FBI arrests California woman accused of spying for China, surveilling Taiwan president's son

The FBI has arrested a California woman accused of secretly working for Beijing to surveil the family of Taiwan’s president in the United States, federal officials said.

Wanying “Heather” Zhang, 34, of Irvine, California, was arrested on Sunday at Los Angeles International Airport as she prepared to board a flight to China, and charged with acting as an unregistered foreign agent, First Assistant US Attorney Bill Essayli said (https://www.cnn.com/2026/10/04/us/california-woman-charged-chinese-agent).

Zhang, a naturalised US citizen and licensed real estate agent, allegedly surveilled the son of Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te — identified in reporting as Ting-Yu Lai, who lives in the Seattle area — after travelling to Seattle in 2025 at the direction of Chinese officials. She allegedly sent photographs, video and licence-plate information of the family to a Chinese government official.

FBI Special Agent Kevin Holt said in the federal complaint that Zhang and a person referred to as “Individual 1” flew from Las Vegas to Seattle on 1 September 2025 and went to the relative’s home. Security camera footage from a neighbour showed them waiting outside in a rented black SUV, holding up their phones “in a manner indicating that they were taking pictures and/or videos of the family.”

Essayli said Zhang “coordinated the trip with an associate and used tradecraft to avoid detection” and never notified the Attorney General that she was acting for a foreign government. Zhang was due in a Los Angeles federal court on Monday for her initial appearance (https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/us-accuses-california-woman-spying-china-surveilling-taiwan-leaders-son-2026-10-05/).

Karen Kuo, a spokesperson for Taiwan’s Presidential Office, condemned the alleged surveillance as a case of “classic transnational repression.” The Chinese embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to requests for comment.