The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has disrupted an alleged foreign repression operation on U.S. soil, arresting a Southern California real estate agent accused of working as an unregistered agent for the Chinese government.
The suspect, Wanying “Heather” Zhang, a 34-year-old naturalized U.S. citizen living in an upscale neighborhood in Irvine, California, was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) as she prepared to board a flight to Shanghai.
According to CBS News, federal criminal complaints and an affidavit filed by the FBI’s counterintelligence squad allege that Zhang had been tasked by Beijing with surveilling the immediate family of Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te.
Investigators link an alleged accomplice to the Seattle trip
The case centers on a trip Zhang and an alleged accomplice took to the Pacific Northwest in September 2025. The pair flew from Las Vegas to Seattle, where they rented a black Nissan Rogue SUV.
They then drove to a suburban home near Seattle belonging to Ting-Yu Lai, the Taiwanese president’s adult son, who lives in the U.S. and works as an engineer. Neighborhood security footage reportedly captured Zhang sitting inside the rented SUV, allegedly waiting for him to arrive.
When Ting-Yu Lai returned home with his wife and child, Zhang allegedly used her phone to take photographs, record video, and capture vehicle license plate numbers.
The FBI traced the alleged operation through a search warrant executed on Zhang’s iCloud account, which uncovered text messages sent through the Chinese messaging platform WeChat.
On the day of the surveillance, Zhang allegedly messaged her handler, described as a Chinese government official, writing, “Saw him. Young male. It’s that young one,” followed by, “I am videorecording.”
She allegedly sent the license plate numbers as well. In later audio messages, Zhang reportedly told her alleged accomplice not to share further intelligence through regular messaging apps, instructing them to send it “over the air” instead.
While the case against Zhang has drawn most of the attention, federal investigators have also focused on her alleged accomplice, identified in court documents only as “Individual 1.” CBS News reported that the person is likely Fatai “Jason” Miao, a Chinese-born construction entrepreneur from California. CBS described Miao as a person of interest in the investigation, and no charges against him have been reported.
The FBI linked Miao to the investigation after discovering that paperwork for the Seattle rental car was connected to a property in Arcadia, California, that he had owned and sold just days after the surveillance trip.
Shortly after Zhang was intercepted at LAX, federal agents raided Miao’s Irvine home. They reportedly used a battering ram to force their way through the front entrance and removed the video doorbell from the exterior wall.
Miao was not at the home. Prosecutors said during a detention hearing that he had already left for China on a one-way ticket about two weeks earlier.
Speaking to reporters, Miao’s son, who lives in the U.S., defended his father. He said his father traveled to China to care for his sick wife and described his father as a “follower” who lacked the sophistication to operate as an international agent. The son also said he believes the Seattle trip was innocent and that his father is looking to hire a lawyer.
Zhang faces up to 10 years in federal prison
Despite Zhang’s defense attorney offering to post a $1.2 million property bond for her release, U.S. Magistrate Judge Steve Kim ordered her detained without bail, citing concerns that she might flee. If convicted of acting as an unregistered foreign agent, Zhang faces up to 10 years in federal prison.
She has not been convicted, and the allegations against her have not been tested in court. The charge is the same one at the center of the case against a former Arcadia mayor, who admitted acting as an illegal agent of China earlier this year.
Taiwan has strongly condemned the alleged operation, with its Presidential Office describing the incident as a “classic case of transnational repression” that threatens Taiwan’s sovereignty. The Chinese embassy in Washington, D.C., did not immediately respond to CBS News’ request for comment, and Beijing’s foreign ministry offices were closed for the holidays.
Published: Oct 11, 2026 06:00 am