US realtor, 34, arrested by FBI for allegedly spying on Taiwan president's son

A 34-year-old realtor in Irvine, California was arrested by the Federal Bureau of Intelligence (FBI) after being suspected of spying for China.

Her mission was allegedly to surveil Taiwanese president Lai Ching Te's son, who resides in the U.S.

CBS News reported that Zhang Wanying, who also went by "Heather", was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport on Oct. 4 as she tried to board a flight to Shanghai.

According to the FBI, Zhang and another accomplice travelled to Seattle in September 2025 to surveil and take pictures of the home of Lai's son, Lai Ting Yu.

U.S. federal attorney Bill Essayli said in a tweet that Zhang is due to appear in federal court in Los Angeles on Oct. 5.

He described her as an "unregistered agent of the People's Republic of China".

We just arrested a Chinese foreign agent at LAX attempting to depart for China.

Wanying Zhang, aka “Heather,” 34, of Irvine, was arrested today by @FBILosAngeles on a federal complaint charging her with acting as an unregistered agent of the People’s Republic of China.

According to the affidavit, Zhang traveled to Seattle in 2025 and, at the direction of PRC officials, surveilled a close relative of a Taiwanese government official, sending photos, videos, and license plate information to those officials.

She coordinated the trip with an associate and used tradecraft to avoid detection. She never notified the Attorney General she was acting for a foreign government, a federal offense.

She will appear in federal court in Los Angeles tomorrow for her initial appearance. Defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

— F.A. United States Attorney Bill Essayli (@USAttyEssayli) October 4, 2026

Spy

According to the New York Post, Zhang began corresponding with a Chinese government officials from September 2022, texting about topics such as investments and children.

In March 2025, she told the official that she planned to travel to Beijing and that they should meet up.

The FBI's counterintelligence squad claimed that Zhang was later introduced to another Chinese official in June 2025 by a classmate from her alma mater, the University of International Relations in Beijing, reported CBS News.

Zhang allegedly then booked a room in Changsha on a trip later that month, where she met with the same official, now her handler, and was assigned her mission.

She later then allegedly said, "I can handle this thing," according to the FBI's complaint filed to the federal court.

Zhang and another man subsequently flew to Seattle on Sep. 1 2025, rented a car and drove to Lai Ting Yu's home.

A neighbour's security camera captured Zhang and her accomplice allegedly filming him and his family as they returned home that evening.

She then allegedly texted her handler, "Saw him. Young male. It's that young one," and "I am videorecording."

She also sent them two licence plate numbers.

These messages, sent on WeChat, were obtained by the FBI via Zhang's iCloud account.

Cross-strait leverage

The FBI claimed in their report that the location and pictures of Lai Ting Yu would provide leverage to China in the event of any conflict between Taiwan and China.

Lai Ting Yu, who is in his 30s, completed his tertiary education and doctorate in the U.S., and now works for the electronics firm Philips.

He has a son with his Taiwanese wife, Hsiao Chen.

This incident comes as part a series of Chinese espionage cases in California, reported the New York Post.

In May 2026, a Californian mayor, Eileen Wang, pleaded to guilty to being a Chinese spy and disseminating propaganda.

In August 2026, a U.S. representative for California, Eric Swalwell, admitted to having relations with a Chinese spy known as Christine Fang, who targeted politicians in California.