California Woman Arrested for Alleged Espionage for China

WHO:

CBS News - Wanying "Heather" Zhang, a 34-year-old California realtor, is accused of espionage for China.

CBS News - Zhang is alleged to have been in contact with Chinese intelligence officials.

CBS News - Lai Ting-yu, the son of Taiwan's president, is the target of Zhang's alleged surveillance.

CBS News - Roman Rozhavsky, assistant director of the FBI's Counterintelligence and Espionage Division, commented on the case.

ABC News - The FBI arrested Zhang at Los Angeles International Airport.

WHAT:

CBS News - Zhang is facing federal prosecution for allegedly surveilling the Taiwanese president's son.

CBS News - The FBI claims to have obtained text messages from Zhang plotting to film Lai Ting-yu and his family.

CBS News - Zhang was arrested while attempting to board a flight to Shanghai.

CBS News - Zhang's Instagram shows her lifestyle, including dining at expensive restaurants and shopping at luxury stores.

WHERE:

CBS News - Zhang was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport.

CBS News - The alleged surveillance took place in a Seattle suburb where Lai Ting-yu lives.

CBS News - Zhang attended events in San Francisco and Los Angeles related to Chinese-American advocacy.

WHEN:

CBS News - Zhang was arrested while attempting to leave the U.S. for Shanghai.

CBS News - Zhang's alleged surveillance of Lai Ting-yu occurred last year.

CBS News - Zhang traveled to China in January 2025 and again in June 2025 for meetings with Chinese officials.

WHY:

CBS News - Zhang is accused of acting at the direction of Chinese government officials to surveil a Taiwanese official's family.

CBS News - The FBI alleges that Zhang's actions were part of a broader Chinese government effort to conduct covert surveillance on U.S. soil.

HOW:

CBS News - Zhang allegedly used text messages on WeChat to communicate with her Chinese handlers.

CBS News - Investigators claim to have footage from a neighbor's security camera showing Zhang during her surveillance mission.

CBS News - Zhang reportedly received her mission to surveil the Taiwanese president's son during a meeting in a restaurant in China.

(UPDATED October 7, 2026 01:33 UTC)

Wanying "Heather" Zhang, a 34-year-old realtor from California, has been arrested at Los Angeles International Airport and is facing federal prosecution for allegedly surveilling Lai Ting-yu, the son of Taiwan's president, under the direction of Chinese government officials. The FBI claims to have obtained text messages from Zhang plotting to film Lai and his family, and investigators have even secured footage from a neighbor's security camera showing her during the alleged surveillance mission. Zhang reportedly received her instructions during a meeting in a restaurant in China and had traveled there multiple times in early 2025 for meetings with Chinese officials.