An Irvine woman who is accused of secretly gathering photos, videos and license plate information for China is expected to make her initial appearance Monday in Los Angeles federal court.
Wanying “Heather” Zhang, 34, was arrested Sunday by the FBI at Los Angeles International Airport as she was attempting to travel to China, according to a social media post by First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli.
Zhang is charged in a federal complaint with acting as an unregistered agent of the People’s Republic of China.
Federal prosecutors contend Zhang traveled to Seattle in 2025 and, at the direction of the PRC, and monitored the Taiwanese president’s son and his family for the Chinese government, sending photos, videos and license plate information to Chinese officials.
Zhang allegedly coordinated the trip with an associate, using spying techniques to avoid detection, according to court papers.
Prosecutors say she never notified the attorney general she was acting for a foreign government, which constitutes a federal offense.
FBI Director Kash Patel trumpeted the arrest on social media.
“Foreign adversaries take note: America is no longer a safe place to run your espionage operations,” Patel wrote. “Allegedly surveil a foreign leader’s family on U.S. soil for (China) — and try to catch a flight back to Shanghai? Not happening.”
A spokesperson for Taiwan’s presidential office on Monday described Zhang’s suspected actions as a “classic case of transnational repression.”
“Taiwan condemns in the strongest terms such barbaric acts — which disregard human rights and national sovereignty and aim to suppress, threaten, or even harm individuals advocating for freedom and democracy or their families — as such behavior should not be tolerated in the civilized world,” a spokesperson said in a statement.