On Thursday (October 8), CBS News reported that Los Angeles contractor Fatai Miao accompanied real estate agent Zhang Wanying to Seattle in September 2025 to monitor Taiwan President Lai Ching-te’s son.
According to CBS, Miao’s identity was confirmed through federal documents, law enforcement sources, and interviews with Miao’s family and neighbors.
Prosecutors revealed in court on Wednesday that Miao had taken a one-way flight back to China two weeks ago and was identified as “Individual 1”.
Miao has been identified as a key focus of the FBI investigation into the case involving Zhang Wanying.
The Justice Department has not charged Miao with any wrongdoing. His family claims he was just a follower and not involved in any complex government activities.
Miao’s son Jiaqi Miao, during a phone interview with CBS on Tuesday (the 6th), mentioned that his father had been in China for the past two weeks taking care of his wife who was receiving back treatment in China.
Jiaqi mentioned that although the FBI’s description of “Individual 1” in the indictment sounded like his father, he did not believe his father would be an unregistered agent of the Chinese Communist Party. He mentioned that his father doesn’t speak English.
“To be honest, I don’t think he’s smart enough to do those things. He always follows others. For example, he doesn’t understand soccer, but because his friends said the World Cup is a big deal, he followed along,” Jiaqi said.
Jiaqi mentioned that on Sunday (the 4th) around noon, he received a call from someone claiming to be from the FBI and mentioning they had a search warrant. However, he initially thought it was a scam.
“Then I checked the surveillance footage at home and saw several government officials with guns outside. I wanted to open the door for them remotely using an app, but it was too late. They had already broken in,” Jiaqi said. “There were five or six SUVs and a large truck.”
CBS reported that Jiaqi’s description of the Sunday raid matches with what the neighbors said.
Neighbors mentioned that around 10 FBI agents barged into a vacant property belonging to Miao with a search warrant in hand. On that day, Zhang Wanying was arrested at the Los Angeles airport as she was about to board a flight to Shanghai.
Since the FBI raid on Sunday, Miao’s current residence in a newly built residential area in Irvine has been unoccupied.
CBS visited the residence on Tuesday and found the front door handle broken, a large dent with even cracks in the wood next to the door. The visible doorbell was ripped from the wall. The only signs of life inside were three pairs of flip-flops on the front patio.
According to the indictment filed in federal court, Miao is suspected of arriving in Seattle on September 1, 2025, to meet with Zhang Wanying, where they rented an SUV and captured footage of Lai Ching-te’s son and his family inside the vehicle.
The indictment referred to Miao as “Individual 1”.
Prosecutors stated that Zhang Wanying conducted the surveillance under the direction of Chinese government officials. A month prior, she had met with these officials in China and planned the operation.
According to special agent Kevin Holt, Zhang and “Individual 1” listed an address in Seattle on the rental car documents, which pointed to a property on Walnut Avenue in Arcadia, California.
“From public records, I know ‘Individual 1’ sold the property around September 11, 2025,” the FBI agent wrote.
According to property records obtained by Epoch Times, the only property sold on that street that day was under Miao’s name, with Zhang as the real estate agent.
California business records show that Miao has several companies, including Jiacheng Real Estate Investment and Management Inc., Jin Yuan Investment LLC, M & Y Construction LLC, and NeoBio USA LLC.
J&J California Construction Company’s registered address is also at Miao’s Walnut Avenue residence, and their general contractor license lapsed in 2025.
Jiaqi mentioned that his father and Zhang Wanying have known each other for over ten years. Zhang had once showed his father an apartment he was considering buying. About ten years ago, Zhang briefly lived in their Arcadia property.
“We rented a room to her for a few months. I think her house was being renovated at the time,” Jiaqi said.
A neighbor, who declined to give their full name, mentioned meeting Miao and Zhang at a recent dinner party. The neighbor mentioned having a good relationship with Miao.
“He (Miao) came to the US because my parents believed my sister and I could receive a better education here. My father is the only one in our family who chose to become a US citizen. So I don’t think he has a reason to work for the Chinese (CCP) government,” Jiaqi said.
Jiaqi suspected that his father unintentionally went to Seattle with Zhang because he heard that a friend wanted to visit another city.
After the FBI raid, Jiaqi called his father in China, who informed him that he had heard about Zhang’s arrest from a friend and reassured him that everything was “fine now.”
Jiaqi is currently studying in the US, and he mentioned that his father is looking for a defense lawyer.
During Wednesday’s hearing, the judge denied Zhang Wanying’s lawyer’s bail application.
Prosecutors told the court that she has a high risk of fleeing, partly because she has access to “hundreds of thousands of dollars” in China.