By The Epoch Times | Created at 2026-10-06 19:16:49 | Updated at 2026-10-06 22:06:29
3 hours ago
Federal prosecutors have charged a California realtor with acting as an unregistered agent of the Chinese regime, alleging that she surveilled the U.S.-based son of Taiwan President Lai Ching-te and his family at the direction of Beijing.
Wanying “Heather” Zhang, 34, of Irvine, appeared in court Monday with federal public defender Chad Pennington, who said she intended to retain private counsel.
Zhang was arrested by the FBI at Los Angeles International Airport on Oct. 4 as she prepared to fly to Shanghai.
She remained in federal custody after her initial court appearance in Los Angeles, with a detention hearing scheduled for Oct. 7.
The case remains at the criminal-complaint stage, and Zhang has not been indicted.
The criminal complaint identifies the surveillance target as a close relative of a high-ranking Taiwanese government official.
The FBI subsequently said the target was Lai’s son and that Zhang had filmed his family’s home and vehicles and reported information to Chinese regime handlers.
The Justice Department alleges that Zhang acted under the direction and control of Chinese regime officials from June through September 2025 without notifying the U.S. attorney general.
If convicted, she faces a statutory maximum of 10 years in prison.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said Zhang sent photographs, video, and license plate information to Chinese officials after traveling to the Seattle area and alleged that she “used tradecraft to avoid detection.”
University Ties and Alleged Tasking
The FBI affidavit traces the alleged operation through a former classmate of Zhang and another alumnus of Beijing’s University of International Relations (UIR).
The filing describes them as closely affiliated with China’s intelligence apparatus, particularly the Ministry of State Security—the Chinese regime’s principal civilian intelligence agency.
The affidavit cites UIR’s relationship with the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, which the filing says falls under the leadership of the Ministry of State Security, as well as a CIA Open Source Center report describing extensive personnel overlap between the university and the institute.
One of the two men the affidavit describes as Chinese regime officials was Zhang’s former UIR classmate.
The two remained in contact after graduating in 2014, discussing their children, investments, and differences between life in the United States and in China.
A photograph cited in the filing shows them at their public administration class’s 10-year reunion in 2024.
In a 2022 WeChat exchange, Zhang allegedly asked him, “Which bureau in the ministry are you in again?”
The FBI said the wording indicated that Zhang already knew the classmate worked for the Chinese regime.
In March 2025, Zhang messaged the classmate asking for the street name of an Irvine address he had previously mentioned.
“Thank you for remembering,” he replied. “We figured out that thing. Won’t have to trouble you.”
FBI Special Agent Kevin Holt wrote that the redacted address had previously been associated with a Taiwanese elected official known for outspoken anti-Chinese Communist Party views.
Several months later, the classmate introduced Zhang to another UIR alumnus, identified in the complaint as “PRC Official 2.”
The man told Zhang he wanted to ask her about “a U.S. house.”
He subsequently arranged to come to Changsha, a city in south-central China, with another person to meet Zhang.
After Zhang returned to the United States, the official referred in a message to “our thing last time” and said he wanted to provide her with “some assurance.”
“If I have free time to go there, I can take care of this thing,” Zhang replied, according to an FBI translation.
The complaint does not identify what the “assurance” was or allege that Zhang received a payment or other benefit.
Zhang returned to China and met the official again in Hangzhou on Aug. 21, 2025.
Before the meeting, she told her former classmate that the senior alumnus had previously met her in Changsha and given her “a rough idea.”
The classmate replied that he did not know the specific details of “the work” and told Zhang to communicate directly with the senior alumnus and do what was within her capabilities.
Alleged Surveillance of Lai’s Son’s Home
On Aug. 26, 2025, as she was about to land in Los Angeles, Zhang told the alleged Chinese official, “I will probably go to Seattle next week.”
“Ok. Thank you for your hard work,” he replied.
On Sept. 1, Zhang messaged him: “Boarding now to Seattle,” and sent a photograph of her boarding pass.
Airline records cited by the FBI show Zhang and another person traveled together from Las Vegas to Seattle on the same reservation, with Zhang paying for both tickets.
After arriving, they rented a black Nissan Rogue and drove to the residence the FBI has identified as the home of Lai’s son.
A nearby home-security camera recorded Zhang and her companion sitting inside the vehicle as members of the family arrived, according to the affidavit.
The two suddenly sat up and appeared to use their phones to photograph or record them.
At one point, Zhang reclined her seat as if attempting to avoid being seen, Holt wrote.
While outside the residence, Zhang allegedly messaged the Chinese official, “Saw him. Young male. It’s that young one.”
When the official asked whether she was free for an audio call, Zhang replied, “I am video recording.”
She then sent him two license-plate numbers and told him to record them. Investigators later confirmed both were registered to the target.
Zhang also sent a 16-second video of the residence. The official responded with three “strong” emojis.
Zhang and her companion returned the rental SUV less than seven hours after hiring it and flew back to Los Angeles the following day.
Photo Exchanges After the Trip
The alleged operation continued after Zhang returned to California.
A week later, Zhang sent her companion an audio message. “Seattle pictures, don’t send via WeChat or text. Must be sent over the air. I have to send it back. He wants me to send it back today.”
She asked that the photographs be transferred using AirDrop. Holt wrote that a direct device-to-device transfer would make the images less readily recoverable from messaging services.
Three days later, the alleged Chinese official asked Zhang for additional photographs of the house.
Her companion said he had deleted the pictures, including from the deleted-items folder. Zhang then sent the official a description instead.
“The house had two cars parked by the door, hung a U.S. flag, the house looked very normal on the outside,” she wrote.
“Ok. It’s ok. Thank you, junior,” he replied.
A Realtor
California Department of Real Estate records list Zhang as a licensed salesperson since September 2016 and identify JC Pacific Corp. in Irvine as her responsible broker.
A company profile for Zhang had previously appeared on JC Pacific’s website but was no longer publicly available on Oct. 5.
Public professional materials reviewed by The Epoch Times list Zhang as having attended UIR before earning a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Southern California.
The Epoch Times contacted Zhang, JC Pacific, and public defender Pennington. None had responded by publication time.
US, Taiwan, and China Respond
Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) called communist China an enemy of the United States and praised the arrest, saying he was glad to see the FBI “holding this CCP spy accountable.”
Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry on Oct. 5 condemned the alleged Chinese-directed surveillance of President Lai’s relatives and described such conduct as transnational repression.
The ministry said Taiwan would strengthen intelligence sharing and security protections with Washington and other democratic partners and thanked U.S. authorities for protecting Taiwanese people in the United States.
Beijing addressed the case publicly on Oct. 6. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said he was not familiar with the specifics and objected to what he characterized as efforts to promote a “Chinese spy” narrative.
