California Realtor Charged as Unregistered Chinese Agent; Prosecutors Allege She Surveilled Taiwan President's Son

Federal prosecutors allege a California real estate agent spent a September 2025 trip to Seattle filming the family of a Taiwanese leader on orders from Chinese government officials.

Wanying "Heather" Zhang, 34, of Irvine, was arrested Sunday, Oct. 4, at Los Angeles International Airport as she tried to board a flight to Shanghai. She is charged by criminal complaint with acting as an unregistered agent of the People's Republic of China. If convicted, she faces up to 10 years in prison. She has not been indicted.

What the complaint alleges

According to the complaint, written by FBI Special Agent Kevin Holt and dated Oct. 3, Zhang and another person flew from Las Vegas to Seattle on Sept. 1, 2025. They rented a vehicle and drove to the home of Ting-Yu Lai, the son of Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te.

The complaint does not name him. The FBI's Rapid Response account and law enforcement sources identified the target after the arrest.

Prosecutors say Zhang filmed Lai, his wife and their child as they went inside. She allegedly sent photos, video and license plate numbers to Chinese contacts.

"Saw him. Young male. It's that young one," Zhang allegedly texted a Chinese official. "I am videorecording."

In the week before the trip, she allegedly wrote: "I will be busy with work in L.A. this week. I will probably go to Seattle next week." The official thanked her for her work, according to the complaint.

Prosecutors say she never notified the Attorney General that she was acting for a foreign government. First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said she "used tradecraft to avoid detection."

The alleged handlers

The affidavit says Zhang was in contact with at least two people she appeared to understand worked for the PRC government. One was a former classmate from Beijing's University of International Relations, where she graduated in 2014.

The FBI describes the school as closely affiliated with the Ministry of State Security, China's main civilian intelligence agency. The affidavit cites the school's ties to the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, which it says falls under the ministry's leadership.

The filing includes a photo of Zhang with the classmate at a 2024 reunion. In a 2022 WeChat exchange, she allegedly asked him, "Which bureau in the ministry are you in again?" The FBI reads that wording as a sign she already knew where he worked.

Prosecutors allege she was acting under Chinese officials' direction from June through September 2025.

Holt wrote why the information would matter to Beijing: "If the PRC wish to obtain leverage over the President of Taiwan during any potential conflict, the location and pictures of the close relatives of a high-ranking Taiwanese government official, including pictures of their homes and cars, could be useful to the PRC."

The second person

The complaint calls Zhang's travel companion "Individual 1." CBS News identified him, through court records, law enforcement sources, and interviews with family and neighbors, as Fatai Miao, a Chinese-born construction entrepreneur in California. CBS also reported that he is a person of interest in the FBI's investigation.

The identification rests on a trail in the affidavit. Holt wrote that the rental paperwork listed a Walnut Avenue address in Arcadia, California, for a house Individual 1 owned. Holt added that public records show Individual 1 sold that house around Sept. 11, 2025. Property records show the only house on that street sold on that date belonged to Miao.

Prosecutors said in court Wednesday, Oct. 7, that Individual 1 took a one-way flight to China two weeks ago. Neighbors told CBS that about 10 FBI agents used a battering ram on Miao's empty Irvine home around noon Sunday, shortly after Zhang's arrest.

The Justice Department has not accused Miao of any wrongdoing. His family disputes any suggestion of involvement. A relative described him as a "follower" who would not take part in any sophisticated government activity, according to CBS. His son, who lives in the U.S., said Miao has been in China for two weeks looking after his wife, who traveled there for medical care for her back.

Reaction and court status

Essayli said Zhang is a naturalized U.S. citizen. FBI Director Kash Patel said in a statement: "Foreign adversaries take note: America is no longer a safe place to run your espionage operations."

A spokeswoman for Taiwan's president called the episode a "classic case of transnational repression."

Zhang made her initial appearance in Los Angeles federal court Monday, Oct. 5. Federal public defender Chad Pennington represented her and said she intended to hire private counsel. A detention hearing was scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 7. She has made no public statement about the allegations, and the charges are unproven.

The arrest comes weeks after President Trump hosted Chinese President Xi Jinping in Washington.

The next filing to watch is an indictment, which would show whether prosecutors add charges or defendants. Miao is in China, and the Justice Department has not said whether it will seek his return or charge him.