The new documents submitted by the prosecution to the court reveal a romantic relationship between California Irvine real estate agent Zhang Wanying and her accomplice. She is accused of acting as an illegal agent for the Chinese Communist Party and allegedly being tasked with monitoring the son of Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen.
34-year-old California Orange County real estate broker Zhang Wanying, also known as Heather Zhang, was arrested on October 4th at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).
On October 14th (Wednesday), Zhang Wanying applied to revoke the detention order, which was once again rejected by a federal district judge. The judge believed that Zhang Wanying poses a flight risk, may flee the U.S., evade judicial sanctions, and has shown dishonest behavior during the legal proceedings.
Prior to the court hearing, the prosecution submitted a yet-to-be-declassified court document opposing Zhang Wanying’s application to revoke the detention order. Simultaneously, the prosecution revealed that Zhang Wanying’s accomplice (reported by media as Chinese construction businessman Miao Fatai) is currently in China, and there is a romantic relationship between the two.
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) counterintelligence officer Kevin Holt stated in the court document opposing Zhang Wanying’s release that a review of her text messages showed that she had over $190,000 in a Chinese bank account and was involved in “unauthorized transfer of funds from China to the United States.”
The Chinese authorities restrict citizens from transferring more than $50,000 annually overseas, and Chinese elites are known to use real estate transactions to bypass this limitation.
Furthermore, Zhang Wanying is also an investor in a nightclub in Shanghai.
According to the court documents, Zhang Wanying graduated at the top of her class from an international relations college that has close ties to the Chinese intelligence department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Colin Scott pointed out in court that this case is not ordinary, not only because of the espionage activities Zhang Wanying is suspected of, but also because it involves the resources and power of a nation; she was directly assigned surveillance work in the U.S. by officials from the Chinese Ministry of State Security.
Scott alleged that Zhang Wanying has been living a “double life,” with even her family unaware of her actions; even her closest confidantes did not know she was an active intelligence agent for the Chinese government until this evidence came to light.
According to the earliest indictment made public by the prosecution, on August 29, 2025, Zhang Wanying and her companion (Individual 1, male) flew from John Wayne Airport in Orange County, California to Las Vegas.
On September 1st, the two flew from Las Vegas to Seattle.
On September 2nd, Zhang Wanying and her male companion flew from Seattle to Los Angeles. Zhang Wanying paid for the airfare for all three flights.
During this time, Zhang Wanying’s credit card also had a charge of $265.25 at the Marriott Seattle Airport on September 2nd. This indicates that the two stayed a night at the hotel on September 1st.
In the afternoon of September 1st, they drove to surveil Tsai Ing-wen’s son’s residence in the suburbs of Seattle, with the car rental fee paid through the male companion’s credit card. The indictment includes surveillance video footage screenshots of Zhang Wanying and “companion 1” at the Hertz rental counter.
According to the indictment, “companion 1” first appeared on August 17, 2025. On that day, “Chinese government official 2” arranged for Zhang Wanying to check into a Courtyard Marriott in Hangzhou on August 21st and sent her the hotel address; subsequently, Zhang Wanying immediately sent this address information to “companion 1.” FBI detectives noted in their report that based on the WeChat chat records of both parties, “companion 1” was also in China at the time.
Scott stated in court that companion 1 is not Zhang Wanying’s husband but reportedly her “intimate partner.”
The prosecution stated that espionage activities are often built on deception.