A 34-year-old California woman has been arrested at Los Angeles International Airport while allegedly attempting to leave the United States for China, after federal authorities accused her of acting as an unregistered agent of the Chinese government.
Wanying Zhang, also known as “Heather,” of Irvine, was arrested Sunday by FBI Los Angeles agents, according to First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli.
She is accused of conducting surveillance on a close relative of a senior Taiwanese government official at the direction of officials from the People’s Republic of China.
According to the federal complaint, Zhang travelled to Seattle in September 2025 with an associate, where they allegedly monitored the family and collected photographs, video footage, and vehicle licence plate information.
Investigators allege the information was sent to Chinese government contacts.
Law enforcement sources identified the alleged target as Lai Ting-yu, the U.S.-based son of Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te. The complaint itself does not name him.
Investigators allege Zhang had been introduced to Chinese officials in 2025 and later accepted the surveillance assignment during a meeting in China.
The FBI says she and her associate used measures intended to avoid detection during the Seattle operation.
Essayli said Zhang never notified the U.S. Attorney General that she was acting on behalf of a foreign government, which authorities say constitutes a federal offence.
She is expected to appear in federal court in Los Angeles for her initial hearing. It was not immediately clear whether she had obtained a lawyer.
The arrest comes amid heightened U.S.-China tensions over alleged Chinese intelligence and influence operations on American soil.
