A 34-year-old realtor from California was arrested earlier this month for reportedly spying for the Chinese government.
The realtor, identified as Wanying “Heather” Zhang, has been accused of spying on Taiwan President Lai Ching-te’s son and his family in the United States.
Based on the statement from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Zhang has been accused of violating federal laws for failing to reveal her identity to the US Attorney General. As per CBS, Zhang studied at the University of International Relations in Beijing, which is run by the Chinese Ministry of State Security. If convicted, she faces up to 10 years in prison.
The Chinese ministry is also known for “heavily recruiting” from the university, said FBI counterintelligence special agent Kevin Holt in a complaint against Zhang.
During her time in the US, Zhang also became involved with advocacy groups and events for Chinese-Americans, but it was her involvement in the All American Chinese Association which brought her in close contact with officials in the Chinese government. The AACA has been labelled as a group close to the Beijing government and is registered in the US under the Foreign Agents Registration Act as an influence arm of the Chinese Communist Party. During her surveillance missions, Zhang filmed the president’s son, his family, their home and vehicles, all of which was relayed back to handlers of the Chinese government.
Later in June 2025, Zhang visited Beijing again, where she was reportedly asked to start surveilling the Taiwanese president’s son. However, Zhang was arrested on October 4, 2026 from Los Angeles International Airport, just before her flight to China.
