The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) arrested a Chinese woman suspected of being a Chinese Communist Party spy at Los Angeles International Airport on Sunday (October 4). She was accused of surveilling the son of Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen.
According to CBS News, the woman arrested is 34-year-old Wanying “Heather” Zhang from Irvine, California, working as a real estate agent.
She was preparing to board a flight to Shanghai when she was detained. She is charged with acting as an unregistered agent of the Chinese Communist Party.
Her husband, Edric Ding, when asked by CBS News over the phone, stated, “I currently don’t know anything,” and declined to provide further comments.
Bill Essayli, the Chief Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Central District of California, mentioned that Zhang is expected to appear in Los Angeles federal court on Monday (October 5). It is currently unclear whether Zhang has hired legal representation.
Zhang is employed at JC Pacific Capital Inc. and holds a California real estate broker’s license. Her husband also works at the same real estate company.
Based on the criminal complaint filed on October 3 by FBI Special Agent Kevin Holt, Zhang and an individual referred to as “Individual 1” rented a black Nissan Altima after flying from Las Vegas to Seattle on September 1, 2025, and drove to the residence of the target.
CBS News reported, citing law enforcement sources, that their target was Tsai Ing-wen’s son, Ting-Yu Lai.
Surveillance footage from a neighbor’s security camera was included in the complaint, showing both individuals “appearing to be filming” Ting-Yu Lai and his family returning home that evening.
CBS News confirmed that the residence seen in the footage matches an address near Seattle owned by Ting-Yu Lai.
Text messages attached to the complaint show Zhang sending messages to contacts in the Chinese Communist Party, saying, “Saw him. Young male. That young one.” She then mentioned, “I’m recording,” and provided two license plate numbers.
These WeChat messages were obtained by investigators through a search of her iCloud account.
Essayli mentioned that Zhang, following directives from Chinese officials, surveilled close relatives of Taiwanese government officials and sent photos, videos, and vehicle information to the officials. She coordinated schedules with accomplices, took measures to evade surveillance, and never informed the U.S. Attorney General about working for a foreign government, which constitutes a federal crime.
The complaint stated that Zhang had at least communicated with two Chinese officials, with correspondence dating back to September 2022.
In June 2025, she met one of the Chinese officials through a classmate from Beijing International Studies University. Holt noted that the school has close ties with China’s Ministry of State Security.
The complaint also revealed that during a trip to China before June 2025, Zhang booked a private room in Changsha to meet the official and receive surveillance tasks.
She later texted the official saying, “I can handle this.”
On August 26, 2025, she texted, “I will be busy working in Los Angeles this week. I might go to Seattle next week.” The Chinese official replied, “Okay. Thank you for your hard work.”
Holt wrote in the complaint, “If China wants to gain leverage during potential conflicts and use it to influence Taiwan’s leaders, the addresses and photos (including residence and vehicle photos) of high-ranking officials’ close family members would be useful to China.”
According to Taiwanese media reports, Ting-Yu Lai in his 30s is an engineer who has studied in the United States and currently works at Dutch electronics company Philips. He and his wife Xiao Chen have a son born in the U.S.
Prior to this incident, similar cases have occurred in the United States. For example, 75-year-old Shujun Wang had provided intelligence to China’s Ministry of State Security for 17 years and was convicted in 2024 for acting as a foreign agent.
Former Arcadia Mayor Eileen Wang was also charged with being a Chinese agent back in May.